Golfers Swinging Happy At Tournaments

At the golf course at Laguna National Golf and Country Club, Secondary 1 student-athlete Chen Xingtong stood out from the crowd as the junior squad golfer rose up the rank to clinch first place in the Singapore Junior Development Tour Ranking Series held on 10 August. The one-day event saw the participation of promising golf talents eager to showcase their skills as well as gaining some tournament exposure and experience at the same time. 

Secondary 2 student-athlete Denise Ng Wan Xuan and Secondary 4 student-athlete Jaymie Ng Wan Xin who are also in the junior squad had participated in the competition too. The duo scored 13th and 5th place on the leaderboard respectively.

Equipped with more confidence, Xingtong and Jaymie teed off at another golf competition, the Singapore Junior Development Tour International Series on 23 and 24 August, also held at Laguna National Golf and Country Club. The duo put up a strong showing over the 2-day game. Jaymie reached 4th place with a total gross score of 156 strokes (78-78), while Xingtong came in 6th place with total gross score of 161 strokes (81-80).

Xingtong, who had joined Sports School mid-stream from another secondary school, shared how she managed her time to meet the demands from sport and studies: “It was a challenging period for me as examinations are around the corner. I had to find time to do revision despite my hectic training schedule.  During the competition, there were pockets of time when the play was delayed due to lightning alert, so I took the opportunity to recite science formulas with my Secondary 2 friend.”

On her performance, Xingtong said: “Overall, I was happy with my performance in both tournaments. I won the championship title in the first tournament with a score of 69 (-3) – my first under par! My performance at the second tournament was more normal, but I am glad that I still won the Under 14 junior section.” 

Over at the Sentosa Golf Club, Justin Kuk Zheng Zhong found encouragement to realise his dream of turning professional. Playing alongside a largely pro field at the 7th leg of the Singapore Pro Series Invitational presented by FTAG on 26 August, the student-athlete in the Diploma in Sports and Leisure Management (DSLM) programme emerged top amateur, after shooting rounds of 1 over par 72 in the first round followed by a 2 over par 73 in the second round. The Singapore Pro Series Invitational, presented by FTAG, consists of eight legs and it saw the participation of 18 of Singapore’s top professionals and 6 local national amateurs who are aspiring to be tour professionals. The final leg of the series will begin in January 2022.