Singapore Classic – The debrief

The DP World Tour’s first visit to the Far East since 2019 provided plenty of intrigue and saw a star of the future showcase his talents. Here is everything you need to know from the Singapore Classic.

Strydom wins again after flawless finish

Ockie Strydom stormed to a second DP World Tour title in six starts as a spotless final-round nine under par 63 saw him claim a one-shot victory over Sami Välimäki. The South African entered the final day at Laguna National Golf Resort Club four shots behind overnight leaders Jeunghun Wang and Alejandro del Rey but he surged to the top of the leaderboard with the low round of the week. Despite first Del Rey and then Välimäki holding three-shot leads at different times on Sunday, Strydom finished with four birdies in his closing six holes, including a brilliant up-and-down at the last which proved decisive.

He becomes the first two-time winner on Tour in the 2023 season after his breakthrough success at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December. Victory also means the 38-year-old sits fourth on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. “It’s a mindset that’s changing at the moment,” he said. “You’ve been in a situation before, and you know you can do it again. I was thinking of not being here this week, I was hitting it so badly. My coach flew in, my wife said to me ‘listen, this may be your week’ and look what happened. It’s my week.”

Hat-trick of aces

After back-to-back events without a hole-in-one, we had three in a matter of a week at Laguna National. England’s James Morrison made the first with a pitching wedge from 142 yards on the fourth during his opening round before South African Jayden Schaper was next to emulate the feat on day two at the 17th with a seven iron from 198 yards. Last but certainly not least, Iceland’s Gudmundur Kristjansson aced the 11th with a six iron from 199 yards on Sunday morning.

Amateur catches the eye

In just his second DP World Tour start, 18-year-old amateur Ding Wenyi put together a performance that suggests he could soon become a force on the professional stage. The Chinese teenager, who won the U.S. Junior Amateur title last year, held a one-shot lead at the halfway stage after opening with back-to-back 66s. After losing ground with a 76 in the third round, he closed with a 69 to finish just outside the top 20 at 11 under par.

Wang back in contention after returning from military service

Jeunghun Wang might have missed out on securing his fourth DP World Tour title this week, but the South Korean was delighted to be back in contention at the top of the leaderboard. He was competing in just his sixth Tour event since the 2020 BMW PGA Championship after being away from the game to complete his mandatory military service back home. Moving into a share of the lead after the third round, he said: “I still can’t believe I am here. I’m really excited to play every event.” A final-round 71 saw the 27-year-old, who won three times in an eight-month period earlier in his career, finish in a share of third.

Siem celebrates reaching career milestone

A quarter of a century after his debut on the DP World Tour, Marcel Siem reached a landmark 500th appearance as he celebrated his personal milestone in spectacular style. The German, a four-time winner on Tour, holed a monster eagle putt on the 18th green in the final round to end the week at 12 under and a share of 17th place. Reflecting earlier in the week on becoming just the 45th player to hit the 500 mark, he said: “It’s a long time. You think about it and it doesn’t feel that long, but the numbers speak for themselves. I feel fit still, I love to play and compete out here. It’s awesome. 500 is quite a cool number.”

G4D Tour stars promote golf’s inclusivity

Kipp Popert and David Watts were among the G4D Tour stars involved in golf clinics held ahead of the G4D Tour @ Singapore Classic, the third event of the 2023 season. The duo were joined by Oliver Hirst-Greenham and Geoffrey Nicholas in running sessions held in partnership with the European Disabled Golf Association and the Singapore Disability Council on Monday and Tuesday. Members from both the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore and Down Syndrome Association, including local children, were introduced to some of the basics of the game. Watts, who claimed his maiden G4D Tour title with a three-shot victory over World Number One Popert at Laguna National, was delighted to support the initiative. “You have always got to look to help others and this is one of the ways that we can give back a little bit,” he said.