Published July 17, 2008 on December 4, 2020

Irish-American James Jay Gould Healy and Local Upcoming Star Shannon Tan Win Top Honours in EFG Singapore Junior Masters 2020

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After three days of superb golf and braving rain delays, the boys and girls who competed in the inaugural EFG Singapore Junior Masters finished the event on a high and completing what is now officially the first junior golf tournament in Singapore during the Covid-19 era.

 

If there were any assumptions of rust in their play, it has been put to bed by the keen level of competition that was displayed throughout the event and the winning scores that resulted.

 

The two big winners in the competition were the 16-year-olds James Jay Gould Healy and Shannon Tan who won their respective Boys and Girls Open divisions but in completely contrasting ways.

 

Healy started the day 3 strokes back of Indian national Jayaditya Saluja (1-over par), the leader after two days of competition.

 

Starting the day with a par and bogey, two birdies at holes 4 and 5 kept him on pace with Saluja who, after an opening birdie, manage to steadily hold par the rest of the front nine for even par for the competition.

 

The two local hopefuls, 18-year-old Brandon Han and 15-year-old Daryl Low, were thick in the race as well.

 

Han began the day at 3-over par and Low at 2-over par, but Han fired two birdies in a steady front nine to turn around at +1, and just one stroke behind Saluja. Low traded bogeys with birdies to remain the same and Healy improved by one for a three-shot deficit behind the leader.

 

At the back nine, things started to get heated up. Firstly, Saluja began dropping shots with a double bogey at the 10^thand another bogey at the 12^th to be 3-over par.

 

His three competitors made a birdie each during that same span of three holes and are now even par (Han), 1-over (Low), 2-over (Healy), with all now ahead of the Laguna National-based Indian player.

 

A birdie on the 13^th provided some reprieve but subsequent bogeys at 14 and 16 made it a difficult task mentally for the two-day leader to turn around.

 

His frustration can be felt on the par 4, 14^th hole at Laguna National’s Masters Course when a mishit approach from the left side rough drew a frustrated groan from the +1.1 handicap player who had erstwhile been a bastion of calm.

 

Han, meanwhile, dropped two shots himself at holes 13 and 14 to relinquish his lead to become 2-over par, equalling the youngest of the group (14-year-old) Low’s scorecard.

 

Healy’s two birdies on 14 and 15 had by then brought him to the lead at even par.

 

By the time the group stood at the 18^th teebox, it was Healy (+1), Han (+2), Low (+3) and Saluja (+4), still with the treacherous par 4 finishing hole to play. With water to the left and out of bounds to the right, Han showed his superior prowess with the driver by thumping a 305-yard drive down the fairway. With barely less than 100 yards to reach the green, he gave himself a chance to make one final push for a birdie and possible draw or even victory.

 

Healy hit his drive safely in the fairway as well and stiffed his approach 4-feet from the pin, securing a good chance for birdie and certainly, for par at least. Han’s wedge pushed him to the back of the green and needing to make a 13-footer for birdie to try and force a play-off.

 

The small gathering of tournament officials watched in awe as he holed his biggest putt of the tournament, leaving Healy needing to make a clutch putt to win. A right-to-left uphill slider meant it was a simple putt but still required nerves of steel with the championship on the line. When he made it, a sigh of relief could be felt as the 16-year-old +0.4 handicapper came back from a three-stroke deficit at the start of the day to winning by just a singular stroke.

 

Healy shot a tournament best 68 to set up his win and an inaugural tournament record of 216. He was followed closely by Han (217) and Low (220), who tied for third with Saluja (also at 220).

 

Later to come was the girls’ Open division final two flights, who had been chasing second place practically since Day 1, when Australian-based local golfer, Shannon Tan, shot steady rounds of 69, 69 and then a cool 72 to finish with a total of 210; a gnawing 13 strokes ahead of second-placed Inez Ng whose 69 today was also the best score among the girls.

 

Other winners of the day were Irvyn Tan (Junior Boys Division) with a combined score of 229, and Jillian Kuk (Junior Girls Division) with a combined score of 232.

 

Healy said after the match: “From the corner of my eye, I could see Brandon’s put coming in and when it sank, I heard the cheers and knew what I needed to do. It was either win or draw, and I wanted the win. It was a 4-foot putt, uphill right to left. I knew the line and I just got to hit it. I was so glad when it went in.”

 

Tan, the girls’ overwhelming champion, showed us what professional play was from the start to the end. She said: “I’ve been practicing every day, even when I couldn’t compete, so I was prepared physically and mentally for tournament play. I just want to focus on my game and let the rest work itself out.”

 

Albert Chiu, Executive Chairman of Asia Pacific Region of EFG International and Chairman of EFG Young Athlete Foundation was impressed with the tournament and level of play and said: “We have had a successful program in Hong Kong that had resulted in grooming an LPGA player and would be looking to do the same here in Singapore. We are not here for just one event, but we want to support events like the Singapore Junior Masters and grow a future Singaporean star golfer too.”

 

Lyn Yeo, Managing Director of LLD Sports Development and Management, and organiser of this tournament added: “Without the support of EFG and Laguna National, our other sponsors and parent volunteers, this event would never have been possible, so I would like to extend a big thank you to everyone involved. We have now together made history in Singapore as the first official golf tournament held here during the pandemic, and we have done it safely, efficiently and have given the juniors a strong competition to play in with World Ranking points at stake.”