Ex-AAC Stalwart Helping to Shape Golf’s Future

Singapore: Coveted starting spots in next year’s Masters Tournament and 150th Open Championship will be the short-term targets of the region’s finest golfing prospects when they tee-off in next week's 12th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC).

Longer term, they’ll seek to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Smith, Kim Si-woo, CT Pan and Jazz Janewattananond and secure fame and fortune as elite professional golfers.

Japan’s Matsuyama, Australian Smith, Korean Kim, Chinese Taipei’s Pan and Thai Jazz are among a long list of past AAC participants who have made a successful transition to the pro game.

However, not everyone in the starting line-up in the 2021 edition of the AAC at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club will follow that path, opting instead to explore alternative avenues in which to carve careers in the golf industry.

Some may become coaches and teaching professionals, others will go into club management. Others still will enter the sphere of golf administration.

For those falling into the latter category, there’s a ready-made role model in the shape of a seven-time AAC competitor.

At the ripe old age of 32, Jerome Ng’s journey in golf could already be described as remarkable.

A former amateur champion and Singapore national team representative, Ng was dubbed ‘marathon man’ after appearing in each of the first seven editions of the AAC – the only player to hold that distinction.

From 2009 to 2015 he was an ever-present in the region’s premier event, locking horns with Matsuyama, Smith, Kim, Pan and Jazz, and making the cut on all seven occasions. His best performance was a share of eighth place at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2014, where he posted a 72-hole aggregate of one-under 287.

While many of his contemporaries were making their way on the world golfing stage, Ng, who graduated with an Honours Degree in Business Management, took up full-time employment with an investment bank at the beginning of 2015.

Following his final appearance in the AAC in Hong Kong in 2015, he joined the ranks of the pros and won a local tournament. That year he also started work with the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) as an Assistant Coach to the National and Development teams.

Ng’s star soared quickly. In 2016, he assumed the role as Manager in charge of the SGA’s High-Performance Programme and development of golf.

A year later he was promoted to Acting General Manager, a position that soon became permanent and which he held until August, 2021 before landing what he termed his ‘dream job’ as Director of Business Development at The R&A, based at the ‘Home of Golf’ in Scotland.

“Golf teaches us humility, empathy, patience and many other core values. It’s a lifelong learning journey and I look forward to what lies ahead,” said Ng, whose job brief involves developing global assets and strategies and synergising engagement initiatives to grow the sport.

“I will keep an open mind and have an outward mindset. It’s a privilege to work at the home of golf. I hope to embrace the challenges ahead and together with the team at The R&A grow this game of a lifetime,” added Ng, who works directly with Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A.

While he continues to get his feet under the table at his new workplace, Ng will be keeping a close eye on proceedings at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

Although six years have elapsed since he last teed-up at the AAC, Ng’s sentiments about the championship have not changed.

Speaking in 2015, he said: “The AAC has been a great education for young players who have aspirations of turning pro and playing on Tour. Seeing Hideki, who has gone on to become one of the world's best and who is a great role model, gives players from the region a lot of belief.

“Back in 2009, everyone was wondering what to expect from the event. The spot at Augusta [that goes to the winner] was obviously the big thing, but before we arrived, we had no idea what the tournament was going to be like.

“Once there we quickly found out. It was fantastic. None of us had played an event that treated the players so well and it has only got better.”

Prescient words from an articulate young man whose drive and vision have set him on a path to help shape the development of golf in Asia and around the world for many years to come.