Aiming to blaze a trail

SINGAPORE- Moments before teeing off as Singapore's only golfer at the 2012 HSBC Women's Champions, Koh Sock Hwee was shaking.

In front of her loved ones and flag-waving Singaporeans, the pressure of duking it out with the planet's top 70 female golfers was finally starting to sink in.

Trembling as she tried to putt at the Sentosa Golf Club's practice green, she saw a familiar figure approaching her.

It was then-women's world No.1 Tseng Ya-ni. "You don't look good, is everything all right?" she asked.

"I'm very nervous," Koh, then 22, croaked.

The Taiwanese sensation, just a year older but far more experienced, replied: "It's okay to be nervous - that means you care about the game."

It is a conversation the Singaporean has never forgotten, for it reminded her how she fell in love with the sport as an 11-year-old.

Swing after swing, miscued putt after misplaced drive, the teenager was enthralled by her father Hong Beng's efforts to learn golf.

Koh recalled: "Starting out, he wasn't very good, to the point it was funny. But he was very enthusiastic and never gave up."

Neither did she, and her persistence and determination were rewarded in 2004, when she was inducted into the national youth set-up.

However, her academic grades took a tumble. Frequent travels to compete overseas ahead of her SEA Games debut in 2005 hampered her O-level preparations at Anglican High School.

Concerned with her poor attendance, the principal phoned Koh's father who, in turn, gave his daughter a shelling.

"It hit me that I've got to study as much as I wanted to play golf," said Koh, who went on to Victoria Junior College and the National University of Singapore, graduating with a project management degree last year.

At the Manila Games, Koh, along with 17-year-olds Christabel Goh and Heng Su-Ann, surpassed all expectations. The inexperienced trio clinched fourth spot, which remains the best finish among Singapore's women at the biennial showpiece.

Koh came close to surpassing that performance at the 2011 Games, when she led the field after a career-best two-under 69 in the opening round. However, she bombed out the following two days with rounds of 79.

"I became overly defensive, thinking about what not to do instead of focusing on what to do," she admitted.

National coach Andrew Welsford does not want history to repeat itself in Myanmar. Since January, the Republic's golfers have undergone thrice-weekly training sessions, focusing mainly on their chipping, pitching and scrambling skills.

If they fail to meet targets, forfeits include running around the course, planks and push-ups.

Renowned sports psychologist Sean Lynch, who has worked with PGA Tour players like Greg Chalmers and Jarrod Lyle, was also roped in.

"I'm more at ease now. Sean kept telling us, 'If you've got game and stay calm, the rest will take care of itself'," said Koh, who hums her favourite Jay Chou tunes to stay relaxed between shots.

While the Singapore men recently stole the headlines for a creditable sixth-placed finish in the Nomura Cup, Welsford warns against underestimating the women. He said: "From what I see in practice, it's very promising. I expect our girls to do better than ever and get a podium finish."

Now 24, Koh will team up with Amelia Yong, 21, and rising talent Amanda Tan, 14. They practised at Naypyidaw's Royal Myanmar Golf Course, venue of the Games tournament, earlier this year.

On the slow greens and tight fairways, Koh carded the team's best score of even-par 72, better than some of the male players.

Personal glory is not the only thing at stake - she also wants to be a trailblazer for women in Singapore golf.

She explained: "I hope more girls will see what we're doing and take golf seriously.

"Right now, apart from Amanda, we don't have enough stepping up to the next level."

Koh, who lives with her parents in a condominium in Simei, supports herself by giving maths tuition. She aims to turn professional next year.

While former team-mates Goh and Heng play on the developmental Symetra Tour in the United States, Koh has targeted the China LPGA Tour, which will run its qualifying school in April.

She said: "The next time I meet Ya-ni on a course, I won't be shaking."

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