Team Singapore off to a flyer at WAGC

Team Singapore got off to a flyer at the opening round of the World Amateur Golf Championship (WAGC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.

Tallying a total team nett score of 279, they are seven strokes ahead of second-placed South Africa.

The team consist of Samir Bedi (Division A, 0-5.4 handicap index), Eric Tan (Division B, 5.5-10.4), Danny Ong (Division C, 10.5-15.4), Gan Siat Yean (Division D, 15.5-20.4) and Ong Siew Yong (Division E, 20.5-25).

Competing across four courses, the golfers are aiming to retain the team crown, besides fighting for individual honours.

Despite entering the tournament as defending champions, Bedi feels that yesterday's results have been quite a relief to the team, spurring them to play even better in the next three days.

He said: "I think everyone in the team did well, and we've positioned ourselves to lead from the front.

"There are still three more days to go and it's a marathon, not a sprint, so we need to conserve our energy and remain focused for the next three days."

Eric and Danny are also leading their individual divisions, but, for Danny, his handicap will be lowered as per the tournament rules, due to his outstanding performance yesterday.

However, he remains optimistic and hopes that he will be able to surpass his current score.

Danny said: "With the revised handicap, it's going to be tough to emulate today's performance, but I'm just going to stay relaxed and enjoy the game."

Team captain Jacqueline Wu feels that although the golfers are at the top of their game, there have been hiccups in the programme flow, which has been to their disadvantage.

She said: "The team did well today despite the chaotic condition.

"The organisation this year in Malaysia is exceptionally bad, so all our players have to stay up late each night to wait for next day's flight pairings and to know which course they will be playing in.

"But I have strong faith that Team Singapore will keep up the momentum and continue to produce good results."