Amateur Duo Aim to Make Waves at Sentosa

Singapore: Amateur standouts Brayden Lee and Troy Storm will further their golfing education when they line-up alongside many of the region’s leading professionals in next week's Singapore Open presented by The Business Times.

Lee and Storm will be part of a 12-strong Singaporean contingent that will tee-off at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course from April 23-26.

For the second year in a row the US$2 million tournament is part of The International Series – the upper-tier level of events on the Asian Tour that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League via The International Series Rankings.

National squad members Lee and Storm are relishing another opportunity to prove their worth again on home soil having made the cut in last year’s Singapore Open.

“Playing in the Singapore Open means a lot to me, especially after last year’s experience. That was one of my best memories on the golf course,” said 17-year-old Storm, who is also in the starting line-up for this week’s Royal Junior in Japan.

“Being able to represent my country and compete in front of my friends and family makes the tournament even more special. I’m really looking forward to this year’s Singapore Open and can’t wait to get back out there and enjoy every moment.”

Last year Lee – winner of the Boys’ category at the 2025 Royal Junior in Japan – finished at the leading local player in the Singapore Open, ending in a share of 50th place, while Storm finished equal 63rd.

It was a remarkable performance by the duo who represented Singapore on home soil at the World Amateur Team Championship, also known as the Eisenhower Trophy, last October.

The 10 Singapore professionals who will compete at Sentosa have been selected by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA), based on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

Nicklaus Chiam, who recently won the Selangor Masters on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), is the leading Singaporean in the OWGR in 741st place.

He will be joined by Ryan Ang, Gregory Foo, Koh Dengshan, Qiwen Wong, Dennis Lim, Joshua Yap, Marc Ong, James Leow and Mardan Mamat.

Leow, another recent winner on the ADT, at last year’s Aramco Invitational, enters through the Asian Tour category for those who finished in the top-10 on the ADT Order of Merit last season, while Mardan, the country’s most decorated golfer, qualifies through the Asian Tour’s Career Earnings exemption.

Leow, a five-time Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) participant who won the individual gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, said: “All the Singaporean players will look forward to the Singapore Open. With two available spots to The Open, that’s a very big opportunity for all of us. I like to compete against the best and see where I get myself.”

In 2022, Leow clinched both team and individual silver medals at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Team Championship for the Nomura Cup – Singapore’s best ever result at this event.

The Singapore Open is one of the Open Qualifying Series events this season, with the top two players not otherwise exempt earning spots in The Open at Royal Birkdale, scheduled from July 16-19.