Team effort sees Singapore poised for top-five finish

In the end, it was a tremendous team effort for Singapore.

In the first round of the World Amateur Golfers Championship in Antalya, Turkey, Patrick Goh was the star, carding a 67.

In the second round, Willy Teo and Frankie Lim came to the fore, with identical 67s to power Singapore into top spot overall.

In the final round yesterday, it was the turn of Sushminder Singh (inset) and Ron Totton (far right) to play starring roles, as both men carded sub-par rounds in very cold conditions at the Gloria New Course.

Sushminder, playing in Division B, shot a nett 69 on the back of some solid putting and cautious course management.

Said the 44-year-old prisons officer: “My key word today was focus. I really took my time out there with every shot and putted really well.

“My only mistake was a double-bogey on the 16th hole. Otherwise, I was really happy with my game and I’m glad to make a contribution to the team.”

Sushminder, who was in the Singapore team that finished second overall last year, said that his experience at this year’s tournament was even more spectacular than his first outing.

“The courses here in Belek are fantastic. The food at the hotels was also amazing and we had a really good team spirit going.”

Echoing that sentiment was Totton, who represented Singapore in Division A.

“It has been an unbelievable week. I would rate it as one of my greatest golf experiences ever,” said the managing director of South-east Asia, BT Global Services, who carded a nett 70 in his final round yesterday.

“The courses, the camaraderie, the new people we met here from different countries, everything has been wonderful and well organised.”

Totton carded four birdies in his round, admitting that he played aggressive golf to try and post a good score.

Said the 44-year-old: “I wanted to make up ground after not playing my best the past two days and am happy that I managed to make those birdies and help the guys out.

“I think the team have done really well, with everyone shooting good scores on different days.”

Singapore’s C Division representative, Goh, shot a 79 while Teo, battling illness and the tough conditions, carded an 82.

Division E representative Lim shot a fighting 77 despite spraining his ankle prior to his final round.

Said Lim: “It was frustrating because I could not follow through on my shots although I hit the ball well. So I was short on many of the holes.”

Despite the scores, the Singapore team look poised to finish in the top-five, with final team standings not available at press time