Gregory Foo leads a field of 16 men and two women professionals who will compete for the total prize money of S$10,600
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The new Singapore Pro Series Invitational presented by FTAG will resume at the Sentosa Golf Club (SGC) from 30 June to 1 July, after being put on hold for over a month as Singapore re-entered Phase 2 Heightened Alert between 16 May and 20 June 2021 to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus following a spike in community cases.
Singapore Golf Association (SGA) launched the series with the first of eight legs in March, before the suspension of the competition was suspended after completing two instalments.
The third leg will now take place at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course next week, with the event previously scheduled for end of May.
Team Singapore's Gregory Foo, winner of the second leg in April, currently leads a field of 16 men and two women professionals who will compete for a total prize money of S$10,600.
Six leading amateurs, including another two women, have also been invited to tee up alongside the professionals.
Speaking ahead of his return to competition, Foo, who currently heads the Series’ professional leaderboard ahead of Choo Tze Huang, said: “Being able to play competitive golf again means a lot to me as it’s going to benefit my game and help me stay sharp."
The 27 year-old added: "It will certainly serve as good preparation for any opportunities that may come my way later in the year to compete overseas."
Image credit: SPORTFIVE
The tournament has been a boon for local golfers, as many have had to put off plans to compete overseas this year, particularly to the United States and Japan, and will be relying on the tournament to keep them competition-ready once travel restrictions are eased.
His sentiments were shared by Koh Dengshan, who sits seventh in the leaderboard: “Playing in the Series has kept me in a competitive environment. This will definitely help prepare my game and mental fitness for qualifying school for overseas tournaments when slots open up, hopefully in the coming months.”
Singapore Golf coach Matt Ballard believes tournaments like this will provide valuable lessons for his national squad, and help motivate them to raise their game to new heights. With there being very few high-level tournaments over the Covid period, it is an invaluable opportunity for the athletes.
Said Ballard: “For an elite amateur golfer, the best way to improve is to learn and compare your game to the professionals. The Series will expose our national players to the traits, demeanour, skills and approach of the professionals. Ultimately, it is about how they execute their golf under pressure.”
Among the professionals to look out for in the third leg at Serapong are Abdul Hadi and Mitchell Slorach, winners of the Peacock Cup (a new monthly competition held on 11 March for SGC professionals), Amanda Tan, Jesse Yap, Koh Dengshan, and Koh Sock Hwee as Sentosa Golf Club is their home turf.
Leg 4, a four-day tournament from 13 to 16 July, will be held at Tanah Merah Country Club in conjunction with the Singapore Open Amateur Championship.