Gregory Foo wins second leg of the Singapore Pro Series Invitational

Singapore’s Gregory Foo fired two birdies in his closing three holes to sign for a superb eight-under-par 64 and win the second leg of the Singapore Pro Series Invitational presented by FTAG by two shots over veteran Mardan Mamat at the Tanah Merah Country Club on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Foo, who started the day with a three-shot deficit following an opening 75, highlighted his card with an eagle and eight birdies against two bogeys to finish with a two-day total of five-under-par 139 at the Tampines Course.

Overnight leader Mardan, a five-time winner on the Asian Tour, returned with a commendable 69 to take second place while countryman Mitchell Slorach took third place on 146 following a battling 72.

Commenting on his win, Foo said, “I am very satisfied with my score today. This is my best score ever on this course in a tournament setting, and it is an amazing personal achievement for me. I hope this will propel my golf journey from here on.”

A total of 24 players, including seven amateurs, participated in the tournament this week. At the end of the opening round, 18 players, including five amateurs, successfully progressed into the second and final round after making the cut set at 12-over-par.

Amanda Tan, who flew the flag for Singapore at the prestigious HSBC Women’s World Championship last week, emerged as the leading female player after registering a 71 to sit in fourth place.

Young talents Hiroshi Tai and Ryan Ang took the honours of being the joint-low amateurs of the week as they shared sixth place on matching 151s.

Ang said, “To be able to go head-to-head with the pros in these tough course conditions helped me realise what I need to improve on to become a better golfer. I am very grateful to everyone who made this series possible, and the opportunity to be able to play at such amazing courses.”

Launched by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA), the series of local professional golf events – consisting of a total of eight legs held across two venues – aims to provide 18 Singapore top professionals and six local national amateurs who are aspiring to be tour professionals, the chance to play and compete during the ongoing global pandemic, which will prepare them for their tour events and major games to come.

The first leg kicked off at the Sentosa Golf Club on March 24 and the tournament will conclude with a final leg in January 2022. In total, 16 tournament days, or eight legs, have been scheduled for the inaugural season – where touring professionals, both male and female, and leading national amateurs will compete over two days (36 holes) for a S$10,600 prize fund.

Each leg will also count towards the ‘Race to FTAG Cup’, where the winner of the Order of Merit will receive a bonus of S$10,000.