'Foo Fighter' eyes a place at the top of the chart

Heading towards the year-end in good form, golfer Gregory Foo is hoping to become the first Singaporean winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) next month.

At No. 111 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Foo is the highest-ranked Singaporean in the 120-strong field as they vie for supremacy at Sentosa Golf Club's New Tanjong Course from Oct 4-7.

Foo, 25, will be taking part with five other countrymen - Joshua Ho, Wee Jin Low, Abdul Hadi, Lucius Toh and Donovan Lee.

Known as "Foo Fighter" to his friends - a reference to the American rock band and his tenacity on the golf course -Foo goes into the championship in great form.

The sports science and management graduate from Nanyang Technological University finished tied for eighth in the individual leaderboard of last month's Asian Games in Jakarta and tied for 19th in the World Amateur Team Championships in Dublin this month.

He said: "I am feeling great. I am feeling very confident. This is the best that I have been playing this year. So, I am very excited for the AAC and just can't wait to tee it up.

"I have prepared well for it… Now that I am back here and do not have any events before the AAC, I am going to spend as much time as possible at the New Tanjong Course and do some quality work so that I feel fully prepared by the time the competition comes."

Foo is eyeing a home victory, which comes with one of the greatest prizes in amateur golf - a dream invitation to the US Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club and a place in the British Open next year.

He said: "If I play well and win, it would be a dream to play at the Masters and at The Open. But even if things don't go my way, I definitely plan to turn professional later this year and I have no regrets.

"The AAC is such a fantastic event that I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to play it eight times."

Entry to the AAC is free. For details, visit www.AACgolf.com.