Singapore: The Singapore Island Country Club (SICC) has renewed its focus on growing the game with the staging of the 29th EFG/SICC Junior Invitational Golf Championship.

With 54-hole totals of six-under 210 over the SICC’s Island Course, Singaporean Daryl Low and Hong Kong’s Arianna Lau emerged victorious as the overall boy and girl champions.

Ivan Chua, Vice President of the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and SICC Club Captain, said the Junior Invitational is an event that young golfers from around the region look forward to during the December holidays, and plays an important role to cultivate a sporting culture in Singapore.

Chua said: “We are grateful to be able to host the field of junior golfers as we renew our focus on growing the game. This event will give the young golfers an actual feel of a professional tournament and prepare them for the next phase in their golfing career.

“With the two-year pause due to the pandemic, it is heartening to see the young golfers competing with even more perseverance and determination than before.”

Among famous past participants in the Junior Invitational are Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Chinese Taipei’s Tseng Ya-ni and Dottie Ardina of the Philippines.

Eager to follow in their footsteps, a total of 82 players took part in this year’s SGA-sanctioned event that is part of the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) calendar. Among the countries represented were Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Switzerland and Thailand.

For Hong Kong national team representative Lau, victory completed a memorable two-week stay in Singapore. Last week, she won the TrustGolf Singapore Junior Masters to move into the top-250 in the WAGR for the first time.

Lau will be hoping for further Singapore success when she returns to the SICC in March, 2023 to compete in the fifth edition of the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP) at SICC.

Albert Chiu, Head of Asia Pacific Region at Swiss private bank EFG International, said: “EFG is delighted to support the Junior Invitational Golf Championship and to be title sponsor of this world-class sporting event.

“This tournament is an excellent platform to bring together some of the most talented young golfers from around the globe and to showcase their skill and potential.

“Nurturing and investing in the next generation is a major area of focus for EFG, and this partnership will allow us to continue our work in supporting the development of young and talented athletes in the region.”

The SICC is a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.