Singaporean Leow Flies High in Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona, United States: Singapore’s James Leow has attained his highest position on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) following a birdie barrage to win the Thunderbird Collegiate by two strokes.

The Arizona State student matched the tournament record of 17 birdies to post a 14-under-par 199 (67, 66 and 66) aggregate at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix.

In so doing, 25-year-old Leow, who had just five bogeys over 54 holes, adds his name to a list of Thunderbird winners that includes Phil Mickelson, Paul Casey and Jon Rahm.

Furthermore, Leow breaks inside the top-150 in the WAGR with a jump of 152 positions to 141st.

Winner of the individual gold medal at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and a four-time participant in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), Leow told the Straits Times: “This win means a lot to me because it’s my last tournament in the regular season for college golf and I had (hip) surgery in December 2020 and was out for a year due to rehab.

“I was slowly getting back to my game and was decent in the summer but not great. A lot of work has been put in to get myself in the right shape physically and mentally. This proves that, with the support of my coaches and family, I can compete against the best amateurs in the world.”

Although Leow will not be able to defend his SEA Games title in Hanoi next month due to school commitments, he has plenty to look forward to in the coming months.

His immediate attention now turns to the Pac-12 Conference in Seattle and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals (April 25-27). The top three teams will qualify for the NCAA next month.

Another distinction for Leow is his selection for the International team to take on the United States’ top college golfers in the Arnold Palmer Cup in Switzerland (July 1-3).

He will then return to Asia in preparation to represent Singapore at September’s Hangzhou Asian Games.

Leow will also be hoping to make a fifth appearance in the AAC. He made his debut in the event in 2015, finishing joint 19th. He also made the cut in 2016 (tied 54th) before claiming top-10 finishes in 2019 (equal fifth) and 2021 (equal ninth).