GIRLS ON FIRE
Representing one’s country, either as an amateur or a professional, in a sport you love, is a dream come true.
JUSTINE MOSS catches up with the Singapore Golf Association’s Women’s National Squad to find out more about their dedication to the game.
ALOYSA ATIENZA
The year 2022 was a big one for Aloysa. Not only did she graduate with a Civil Engineering Degree from the National University of Singapore, but she won the Women’s Golf Individual Silver medal at the SEA Games in Vietnam. Shooting a final round 65, it was her SEA Games debut and the first time in 30 years that Singapore had achieved this.
With all this success, it’s not surprising that Singapore’s second highest- ranked amateur is looking to turn pro in the not so distant future. But there are a number of tournaments to compete in first, including the recently concluded South East Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship 2024 which took place at Seletar Country Club. “I’ll be doing the stretch of qualifying tournaments for most of the tours, LPGA, European Tour, Korea. So, my main priority this year would be to try and secure a tour card and then hopefully I can turn pro at the end of this year or early 2025.”
She adds, “I think that Shannon Tan has shown a lot of us girls that it is possible and there are many different routes to achieving your goal. For myself, one of my biggest goals is to play for Singapore in the Olympics.”
Aside from family, one major mentor in her life has been former SGA National Coach Matt Ballard.
“It was pretty life-changing because I think in that few years – my first couple of years in the national team – he really guided me and helped me improve on my fundamentals. That got my skills a lot better – just seeing my potential and how good I can possibly get and his words of affirmation. I think everything came together. He definitely played a significant role in where I am right now.”
Another person the 25-year-old looks up to is New Zealand pro Lydia Ko. “Just because of her mental game and her short game. My short game has always been one of my weaknesses and I just love watching how she is so good around the greens. And I think it was really highlighted during one of her lowest periods where she wasn’t really striking the ball too well. And she would just find a way to grind and put a score out there.” Aloysa adds, “But just being able to go through all that and still enjoy the game. I think that is something that I really look up to.”
WHEN I’M NOT PLAYING GOLF… I like to watch shows and movies.
I LOVE GOLF BECAUSE… I’m addicted to the rewarding feeling of a good round. It’s such a difficult sport to master and I have to spend a lot of time trying to perfect my craft. There’s no better feeling than playing a great round of golf and watching all your hard work pay off.
IF IT WASN’T GOLF… I’d be a school teacher. I enjoy being around kids and love the idea of grooming and inspiring the next generation.
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… I played volleyball competitively for 10 years.
MY GOAL IN THE NEXT YEAR IS… to turn professional, earn a Tour card, and get myself into the Rolex rankings.
CHEN XING TONG
This 15-year-old’s passion for the game started when she was nine, after a colleague of her father gave him a ladies’ golf set.
“He then signed me up for classes!”, she says. “Since then, my dad has been herding me around to tournaments and practice. I could not have made it this far without all of his support.”
It’s been a worthy investment, with the Singapore Sports School student winning the Singapore National Amateur Championship twice in a row (2022- 2023), claiming her first international title at the Selangor Amateur Open in 2023, and topping the national qualifier to tee off in the HSBC Women’s World Championship Sentosa Golf Club earlier this year.
“What I gained from the HSBC experience was that it wasn’t just about perfecting your game because no one, not even the pros, can hit a perfect shot all the time”, she relates. “Instead, adapting to what you have and the cards you are dealt is the most important aspect to playing well and it is one I am still working on perfecting.”
Even though when asked what gets her out of bed in the morning and inspires her to go the range, the course and practice, her answer is “to win”. That said, Xing Tong is not planning to rush the pro route. She is concentrating on her studies and will participate in various golf tournaments for the rest of this year and into 2025. “I have decided with my family to wait until after university to decide whether to turn pro or not. Going to the US and being able to be competitive is very important to me.”
Her days are full. As well as juggling her studies, she practises at Warren Golf & Country Club and Sentosa Golf Club (earlier this year she was added to the local sponsorship programme, along with Aloysa and professional Amanda Tan), pops down to Singapore Sports Institute at least once a week and does her own home fitness routines at least five times a week.
Her distance is her major strength on the course, but she acknowledges that she needs to improve other areas of her game. “I have been focusing on improving my short game as that is where you can easily gain the most strokes.”
Away from golf, she follows motorsports. “It’s a hobby that’s quite irrational because I’m actually really afraid of vehicles going at speeds over 90km,” she explains. “I’ve recently gotten into musicals as well!” What kept her calm during the HSBC Women’s World Championship qualifiers was singing tunes from the musical Hamilton.
And what else keeps her calm and focused during a round? “I just try to keep myself happy. Between shots I might hum songs or take to my imagination for fun. If I’m playing with my friends I’ll probably talk to them too!”
WHEN I’M NOT PLAYING GOLF… I like to watch other sports! I’ve been really into motorsports, tennis and football lately.
I LOVE GOLF BECAUSE… you can only control your own outcome so you are really competing against yourself.
IF IT WASN’T GOLF... I’d look to being a sports journalist.
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… I used to hold an age group national record in swimming.
MY GOAL IN THE NEXT YEAR IS… to play most consistently.
HAILEY LOH
For Hailey, the person who has had the most influence on her golf is her father, Arthur. “He was the one who introduced me to it. I also consider my dad to be like my coach as well because he was my swing coach all throughout junior golf.
Without him I wouldn’t even be playing golf. “My dad encouraged me to go to college in America and it’s opened up so many doors for me. Who knows what my life could have been if he didn’t push me when I was younger to not quit.”
After initially studying at the Californa Baptist University, Hailey transferred to the University of Minnesota in her final year, and recently graduated with a degree in communications.
Her time in the US has seen much success on the course. Last April, Hailey, whose older sister Ashley used to be on the Singapore National Team, became the first Singaporean golfer to win a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference championship at the Semiahmoo Country Club in Washington State. It was third time lucky for the 21-year-old who lost both of her previous play-offs back in 2022.
Other highlights have included winning the 2021 Singapore Open Amateur Championship, being named on two all-WAC teams, having two NCAA Division I Collegiate wins and representing Singapore in three SEA Games.
While she admits that her putting is an area that needs work, her strengths are ball striking and confidence.
“I’m definitely a ball striker, that’s definitely my strength,” she admits. “Another one of my strengths is that I’m very confident on the golf course. Your ability can only get you so far. I think what takes you through the next level is how much you believe in yourself.”
However, she is also a very competitive person by nature. “I just want to be the best. I’m only going to be the best if I outwork everyone,” she confesses. “I just love golf. I love
how competitive it is, how mentally challenging it is. But people think it’s so easy because when you look at all these golf videos online you think that’s so easy like I could do that too but people don’t realise how tough it is.”
Having fun on the course is also important for Hailey. “I feel like sometimes as competitive golfers we’re so caught up with chasing perfection on the course. We are out there trying to do our best each time and getting so frustrated when things don’t go our way, but we just forget that it’s about having fun.”
Hailey, who recently took up a position with Acushnet SEA, plans to take the professional route but will do it when she’s ready. “I don’t see myself turning pro in the next few months just because I don’t think I’m ready yet. I’m not playing at the level where I want to be.
“I can see my game trending upwards, and I can see improvements. I just don’t think that I’m ready to be competitive on a professional level. When I turn pro I want to be firing on all cylinders. I want to be there to win. I don’t want to be there to make up numbers. Hopefully, I will be ready by the end of 2025.”
WHEN I’M NOT PLAYING GOLF… I like to spend time with my loved ones.
I LOVE GOLF BECAUSE… I have met so many wonderful people through the sport. I’m so grateful that golf has given me so many amazing opportunities and memorie. I also love the camaraderie and competition that comes with the sport.
IF IT WASN’T GOLF… I’d look to being a gymnast!
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… I play golf without a glove.
MY GOAL IN THE NEXT YEAR IS… to win a medal at the SEA games and at the World Amateur Team Championships.
INEZ NG
Twenty-one-year-old Inez, who is currently mid-way through a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science at the University of North Carolina, is another fan of Lydia Ko.
“I just think she’s an inspiration, especially after the slump that she went through, says Inez. “She seems like a really nice person and a respectable golfer in the industry. It’s just something with her story, with like peaking at such a young age and then coming back to where she is now. It’s inspiring to me.”
Another source of inspiration for Inez is her family, followed by her support system consisting of her coaches, teammates and friends. She took up golf at the age of seven and grew up playing tennis and netball.
“I guess you never really get bored with golf. There’s always something different every day, something new that you can learn, there’s always something to work on. Every round of golf is never the same.”
Last October saw her finishing joint-fourth in the individual rankings at the Espirito Santo Trophy at the World Team Amateur Championships in Abu Dhabi. The field included eight of the world’s top 10 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, and was a highlight of the year for Inez.
“I think that’s definitely the highest moment for me on an international scale”, she says. And even though her game was struggling a little before that, everything seemed to come together at the right time.
“It was pretty perfect in terms of how I was on the course. I just remember it was quite smooth sailing and everything kind of fell into place.”
And as in her journey to turning pro, Inez answers, “I think that’s the ultimate goal to make a living out of playing golf as my career. Right now, I’m definitely going to finish college and get my degree. I will then probably give myself a year or two to see what happens and to see if the professional life is really for me. I mean, the plan is to try the LPGA Q school in 2026,
the year that I graduate, and go from there. But the ultimate goal is to play professional golf.”
WHEN I’M NOT PLAYING GOLF… I like to hang out with the people I am closest to and make new memories by exploring new places. I also like to read, to distract myself from golf, and learn new things.
I LOVE GOLF BECAUSE… there is always something I can improve on. No round of golf
is the same so there is something new to look forward to and challenge myself every day.
IF IT WASN’T GOLF… I’d look to being a normal college student and exploring career pathways related to business and economics.
I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT… I have an older brother and am afraid of animals.
MY GOAL IN THE NEXT YEAR IS… to win a college tournament or elite amateur event while still loving the game.
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