Singapore: The World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) have received a shot in the arm with more than S$500,000 collected at a fund-raising golf event.

With Singapore preparing to welcome the future stars of global golf in October, the local community has stepped up in a big way to lend their support for the blue-riband event.

At the Tee-Up for the Champions of Tomorrow event at Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC) late last month, more than S$500,000 was raised via the purchase of flights and cash donations.

Fuelled by public generosity and matched dollar-for-dollar through the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF), the fund-raising event underscored the growing momentum and excitement around the arrival of the world’s best amateur golfers to the WATC, a launch-pad to the professional game for many.

That sentiment was reflected in the buzz surrounding the Singapore Golf Association (SGA)-organised fund-raiser, with the local community embracing its role in supporting the champions of tomorrow.

All funds raised will go towards the staging and promotion of the WATC, which is being held in Singapore for the first time, at TMCC.

From October 1-4, the women’s teams will tee-off in pursuit of the Espirito Santo Trophy. A week later, the men will take centre stage to contest the Eisenhower Trophy (October 8-11).

Representing their countries in teams of two or three, players will battle it out over 72 holes in a stroke play format for four days. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.