11 June 2010: The fifth edition of the Faldo Series Singapore Championship was claimed by one of the youngest competitors in the field when 14 year-old Edgar Oh triumphed on the second hole of a sudden-death play-off at Raffles Country Club.
Oh finished tied at the top with 17 year-old Jerome Ng on four under par after both players had carded identical rounds of 69 and 71 on the Palm Course. However, it was Oh who secured the overall champion’s trophy after getting up and down for par from a hazard on the second extra hole where Ng could only manage bogey.
As winners of their respective age categories, both Oh (Boys’ Under-16) and Ng (Boys’ Under-21) can now look forward to a start in the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final on the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, next March.
Joining the boys at Mission Hills for the R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event hosted by Sir Nick Faldo will be the girls’ winners, Joey Poh and Kok Jo Ee. Girls’ Under-16 winner Kok, 16, put in the best performance of all the females with a two-round total of 151 while Under-21 winner Poh, also 16, reached her second consecutive Grand Final with two rounds of 78 for a total of 156.
Over 50 of Singapore’s top young golfers, boys and girls aged 12 to 21, teed up in the Singapore leg of the Faldo Series Asia at Raffles where the gallery included an audience of younger spectators from The First Tee programme. The local children were invited to the tournament to receive free coaching and watch the competitors in action, part of Faldo’s drive to create access to the game at a grass-roots level and help inspire future generations.
The Singapore Championship was the third of 17 tournaments in 12 different countries on the 2010/2011 Faldo Series Asia schedule, which also includes six events in mainland China plus others in The Philippines, Vietnam, Bahrain, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia and Thailand.
The 2009/2010 Faldo Series Asia boys’ title was won by 14 year-old Masamichi Ito from Japan and the girls’ title by Thidapa Suwannapura, 17, of Thailand. Both will be invited to play in a professional tournament on the Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour respectively and both have earned exemptions into the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final, to be played over the Faldo Course at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland on September 21-23.
Underwritten by six-time Major winner Faldo himself, the Faldo Series Asia is supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A as well as official golf wear partner Alpine Creations. It is also endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC).
Further to the success of the Faldo Series Europe, launched in 1996, the Faldo Series Asia was established in 2006 to help develop the region’s next generation of champions. Over 30 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries across the UK, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia and former winners include Tour champions Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng.
Leading final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 140 – Jerome Ng (69-71); 153 – Gregory Foo (73-80); 156 – Jackie Teo (79-77), Jonathan Woo (74-82). Boys’ Under-16: 140 – Edgar Oh (69-71); 151 – Nicklaus Chiam (78-73); 153 – Joshua Ho (77-76); 157 – Nicholas Lim (78-79), Abdul Hadi (77-80). Girls’ Under-21: 156 – Joey Poh (78-78); 157 – Koh Sock Hwee (79-78); 169 – Natalie Koh (81-88). Girls’ Under-16: 151 – Kok Jo Ee (76-75); 172 – Seraphina Lee (82-90); 175 – Lim Jia Yi (89-86).