The best game of his life

He shot an 83 on Sentosa Golf Club's Tanjong Course, and he called the 11-over-par round "the best game of my life".

And why not!

That score was enough for 43-year-old Melvin Lim to finish second in Division D of the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) World Golfers Championship (WGC) qualifier on Monday.

Lim, who plays off a handicap of 15.5, will now join 79 other golfers at the SPH WGC Finals, which will tee off at Sentosa's Serapong Course on Oct 7.

Monday's event was the second of two qualifiers - the first was held at Tanjong on Sept 23.

"The stars were aligned," said Lim, the CEO of Havas Media Singapore, who bought a flight in the qualifiers to entertain his clients.

"It was not competitive at all so that took some of the pressure off. Every approach shot I made zeroed in on to the green and it's a pleasant surprise to card a 83 and make it to the final."

"The pressure is on now, but I don't think I stand a chance. I'm just going to Serapong to enjoy it because that's what golf is all about," added Tan, whose average is usually in the high 80s and low 90s.

In each of the two qualifying rounds, the top player from each division goes through to the final.

As some divisions had more players than others, the top 40 per cent from each were selected to make the final.

The winners of the tournament's five handicap divisions - A (0-5.4), B (5.5-10.4), C (10.5-15.4), D (15.5-20.4) and E (20.5-25.4) - will represent Singapore at the WGC Finals in Durban, South Africa, from Nov 1 to 8.

They will be coached by top local instructor M Balraj before setting off for South Africa.

PARTY

Another golfer with a shot at making the party for Durban is Lee Meng Kit, whose 78 was enough to win Division C.

Unlike Lim, Lee, who plays off a handicap of 11.9, is familiar with the Serapong Course.

The 44-year-old, who is self-employed, said: "Serapong is a championship course and it's never easy to play there.

"I've shot rounds of 10-over and 12-over there and I've never gone under 80, so I'll just try my best and see how strong the rest of the field is."