Written by: Khushi Gupta

The SMBC Open being one of the greatest tournaments, Singapore was once again extremely happy to host it. Ross Tan, President of the Singapore Golf Association ecstatic about the tournament. “The SMBC Singapore Open has always been a highlight on the local sporting calendar, and organizers have worked with the relevant authorities to create a truly unrivaled experience under the circumstances and in the safest possible manner. We look forward to welcoming the players back to Singapore and are confident of staging another successful edition of the SMBC Singapore Open.”

No matter what happens, one can never really get tired of Golf Tournaments coming and going. Having said that, it is with extreme joy and a sense of victory that we can today celebrate the last day of the SMBC Open (Singapore). Being the last day and the last round played today on the 23rd of January, the golfers emerge changed in their experiences and glorified in the eyes of the watchers. It is indeed a time to celebrate all winners who have won the title of the SMBC Open and have taken their righteous positions as the winners.

Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand during Round Four (Credits- Asian Tour)

Kaewkanjana Sadom of Thailand who was not at the top in the previous rounds, came diving up to the first position in the 4th round, surprising everyone with the way he played the tournament hitting birdies in holes 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 18 in round 3 and holes 6 and 7 in round 4. As the leader board continued to toss the players from one position to the other with their birdies and bogeys, some of them maintained their positions and continued to play well throughout the 4 rounds. Kaewkanjana Sadom was followed by Katsuragawa Yuto of Japan who hit birdies in holes 1, 4, and 12 in round 4, rightfully placing him in the second position tied with Kim Joohyung of Korea who hit swift birdies in holes 3, 4, 6, and 8 in the same round.

Karandeep Singh Kochhar, a 22-year-old from India is the youngest from not only India but also from all the players present at the course. Being an experience to remember, Kochhar added, “It has happened for the first time. Having no other option, I decided to travel with my childhood and local caddied Mahesh. It’s turning out to be a good experience with never-ending talks on golf, improvement of shots, and assessment of performance. It will be an experience worth living for him (Mahesh) also as he will learn several things. I hope the exchange of words helps me spot my mistakes and win a podium position in this event.”

India too has done outstandingly in the tournament. Veer Ahlawat of India places at the 5th place tied with Mun Doyeob of Korea and Todd Jarin of the USA. Having played exceptionally well and been the only Indian in the top 5, Veer Ahlawat has made his country proud yet again. He too with his tremendous game-play hit mind-blowing birdies in holes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the last round, befittingly putting him in a tie for the 5th place with the other two. Following his closely was Shiv Kapur who too was in the top 10, is tied for the 9th place along with Hamamoto Kousuke of Thailand, Kim Bio of Korea, Kobayashi Shintaro of Japan, and Murray Zach of Australia.

Veer Ahlawat of India during Round Four (Credits- Asian Tour)

The best of players have participated in the SMBC Open (Singapore), the winner of the tournament would get a huge share of the purse that was set for $1.25 million with the winner getting a total of $225000, the standard 18% payout. This is not the end of it all. Not only will the winner be receiving the prize money but also more points will be added to the order of merit tally which will prove to be imperative for their access to future tournaments and bonuses. Apart from all this, the winner of the tournament will be getting 14 Official World and a stressful competition being played amongst the golfers.