Melbourne, Australia: Singapore Golf Association (SGA) national squad member Ryan Ang has accomplished his mission of securing his Tour card on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia.

Ang was among 36 players who gained their Tour cards for the 2024/25 season after posting rounds of 71, 75, 71 and 73 at the Moonah Links. He ended in 33rd place.  

“The feeling hasn’t really sunk in yet. But if you had asked me if I could have done this two years ago before I joined the national team, I would probably have said ‘no’. 

“The journey I’ve been on with SGA’s high-performance programmes since then really means a lot to me,” said the 24-year-old accountancy under-graduate at the Singapore Management University.

Reflecting on his performance in Melbourne, Ang added: “The week in Australia was very challenging because I came here alone. I didn’t have a caddie, unlike other players who had their own caddies and support team. 

“I had to pull my own cart the whole week and the course is not an easy walk. It’s undulating and can be very taxing on the body. Not to mention the conditions of the links-style golf course where strong winds were blowing every day.

“The mindset for me was to stay focused and it was all about me versus the golf course. It was not against anyone else. The main goal was to get my status.”

Despite being alone in a foreign land, Ang was grateful for the support he received from back home.

He said: “It was about believing in myself even though I had a bad second round. Everyone was motivating me to keep going. The constant phone calls, messages, video calls between me and my family, friends just kept me going throughout the week.

“I’ve never felt this kind of nerves stepping on the first tee before and knowing I have a chance to qualify for a main Tour. I didn’t think I could do it before but I remained true to myself the whole week.” 

Asked about his plans to join the paid ranks, Ang said: “I plan to retain my amateur status for now. The amateur season is still busy. I’m looking to play in the British and Scottish Amateur before heading back to play the Putra Cup. 

“That’s an important milestone for me because if I win that, I will get an exemption into the final stage of Asian Tour Qualifying School which is also a very big goal for me to qualify for the Asian Tour.

“I would like to finish off the year with a good result at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in Japan, which will give me the chance to qualify for the Majors.”

At Royal Melbourne last October, Ang finished as the leading Singaporean in a share of 19th place. Australian Jasper Stubbs, the winner, received invitations to the 2024 Masters at Augusta and the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.

The SGA is an Associate Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.