ASEAN NOW Golf

May 26, 2021

The Board of Directors of the LPGA has unanimously elected Mollie Marcoux Samaan as its next Commissioner.

Marcoux Samaan, currently Ford Family Director of Athletics at Princeton University, will become the ninth Commissioner of the LPGA since its formation in 1950. She will succeed Commissioner Mike Whan who notified the LPGA Board late last year of his intent to step down in 2021.

Whan was recently announced as the next Chief Executive Officer of the USGA. Marcoux Samaan will be working with the LPGA Board and the University to transition to her new role in the months ahead.

“Our selection of Mollie Marcoux Samaan as the LPGA’s next Commissioner is the outcome of an extensive and deliberate search process. The position attracted a diverse group of outstanding internal and external candidates, all passionate about the LPGA. We concluded that Mollie is the right leader to guide the LPGA’s next chapter of growth, impact and achievement,” said Diane Gulyas, Chair of the LPGA Board of Directors and the Search Committee.

“Mollie understands the power of golf to change the lives of girls and women. As a values-centered leader, she’s known for her skills in collaboration, managing through complexity and building a winning team culture. In every role, she’s had an outstanding record of performance in navigating change, forging lasting partnerships, and seeing – and seizing – new opportunities,” Gulyas said.

“The LPGA Commissioner role is one of the best jobs in sports today and the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m passionate about the game of golf and have been an LPGA fan since I was a little girl. I appreciate the LPGA’s history and the tenacity of its 13 Founders. I’m truly inspired by our Tour players and teaching professionals. I’m excited to dive into the LPGA initiatives to impact women and girls in the game at every age and ability. And, to learn about and contribute to all aspects of the LPGA’s business,” said Mollie Marcoux Samaan.

“I believe passionately that sports have the power to change the world. And in this moment in time – with the positive energy around women’s sports, women’s leadership and society’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion – I believe the LPGA has an incredible opportunity to use our platform for positive change.

‘I’ve devoted my career to developing character, confidence and opportunities through sports. My mission and the LPGA’s mission are fully aligned: providing women and girls the opportunity to achieve their dreams through golf.

“Under the leadership of Mike Whan and the executive team, the LPGA is strongly positioned for continued growth and impact. I’ll look forward to working with Mike and the leadership team to meet the many people and organizations that have been so integral to the LPGA’s success. With its committed sponsors and fans, talented players and members, and exceptional staff and Board, my role will be to continue the positive momentum and increase opportunities, awareness, impact and respect for the LPGA worldwide,” Marcoux Samaan said.

May 25, 2021

Buried in Kyler Aubrey’s closet is a Masters flag from 2013 signed by just one player: Phil Mickelson.

When Aubrey met Mickelson and his wife Amy that year at Augusta National, Mickelson immediately bent down to sign Aubrey’s flag. But Mickelson accidentally wrote the wrong name on it – then subsequently scribbled it out – and a horrified Amy promised the Aubrey family that her husband would sign a new one and they’d have it shipped.

Sure enough, the flag showed up a few weeks later to the Aubrey’s home in Statesboro, Georgia.

PGA Championship Memento

On Sunday at the PGA Championship, Aubrey acquired another piece of Mickelson memorabilia. He and his dad Josh were just inside the ropes by No. 5 green at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course when Mickelson holed out from the sand, securing the birdie that helped him separate himself from the pack.

“When we were there we could actually see a perfect view of Phil making the shot and we were just screaming. When Phil made it, he came up to us and said here’s my lucky ball, I want you guys to have it, thank you for coming,” Josh said.

“…We were so in the moment that we didn’t even notice that Kyler had dropped the ball. Phil turned around and picked it back up and set it on his lap.”

Kyler Aubrey, 28, has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. At Kiawah, the sand is particularly hard for him to navigate – something Josh realized in 2012. The Aubreys had practice-round tickets to that PGA Championship, and then lucked into tickets for the rest of the week, too. Statesboro is only a 2 ½-hour drive from the South Carolina coast.

“While we were going around the course we kept getting stuck,” Josh said. “David Feherty came up to us and said I notice you guys kept getting stuck – this was like Sunday afternoon – he said I want to give you this all-access pass, you can go anyway you want to on the golf course.”

Feherty’s generosity made a world of difference in traversing the difficult terrain. It also helped spark lifelong friendships. Roughly an hour before McIlroy closed out his win that year, Josh and Kyler were near the scoring tent.

“I was like, I wonder if we can go up in here,” Josh remembered thinking. “We went in there and they let us through and all the golfers that finished would walk right by us.”

The Aubreys had spoken with Graeme McDowell in a practice round early week, and when McDowell saw them sitting there on Sunday, he joined them to chat with Kyler for nearly an hour. McDowell then introduced the family to Rory McIlroy.

Through the years, the Aubreys have maintained those friendships as they’ve attended Tour events all around the Southeast like the Players Championship and the Tour Championship.

McIlroy always seeks out Kyler to catch up, Josh says, and the Aubreys have stayed at McDowell’s house a couple of times while attending the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

McIlroy provided tickets for this week’s PGA Championship.

A few years ago, Rickie Fowler, who has also become a friend, approached the Aubreys on the back of the practice range at Bay Hill and, when he found out they didn’t have Masters tickets for that year, got them tickets for the whole week.

Statesboro is also only an hour and a half from Augusta, so Kyler and Josh have frequently attended the Wednesday practice round at the Masters.

Kyler enjoys Wednesdays the most because it’s when he can interact with the players he’s developed relationships with through the years. He has been a golf fan since he was just a little boy, when Josh used to take him to the golf course and bungee his car seat into the golf cart while he played. Kyler loved to watch.

“When he was little, like 2 or 3 years old, he would get over to the TV and change the channel to the Golf Channel. Instead of watching cartoons, he was watching the Golf Channel,” Josh said.

Tiger Woods was just gaining in popularity about that time, and the Aubreys attended the Tour event in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 1999 – the only year Woods played the event.

“Kyler was 6 when that happened, when he played,” Josh said. “That just kind of took it to a new level and then that’s all he wanted to do.”

Kyler Aubrey and Tiger Woods at the 2011 Players Championship. (Aubrey family photo)

Kyler’s younger sister Sloan, 19, also loves golf. She has played since the sixth grade, and continues to play, though not collegiately. Sunday at the PGA Championship was particularly special because Sloan was with the boys, too.

When Kyler was 22 and Sloan was 12, their brother Jordan, 17, died in a car accident. That’s when Kyler and Sloan grew closer. Golf has always brought the family together. The PGA Championship, however, marked the first time in nearly two years the Aubreys had gotten to be fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a tournament, Kyler is always an easy person for Tour players to spot.

“People would see him and he’s always in a good mood, he loves being out there, he’s always got a big smile and he always wants to give those guys hugs,” Josh said.

“I think that’s what he likes so much about golf is they’ll interact with him.”

Kyler brightens their day, just as they brighten his.

Phil Mickelson and Kyler Aubrey at a previous PGA Tour event. (Aubrey family photo)

May 24, 2021

May 24, 2021

May 24, 2021

Bunker Boys Golf Report for week commencing Monday May 17th

Monday, May 17th

Pleasant Valley

1st Kob Glover (26) 38 points

2nd Niall Glover (21) 34 points

3rd Roger Awad (20) 34 points

Near pins Geoff Parker, Tony Robbins, Niall Glover, & Jimmy Carr.

A bright sunny day for the first game of the week at Pleasant Valley where we had the course virtually to ourselves. As the round progressed some big groups of six or more followed us around, luckily not ahead of us.

As we set off on the front nine the temperature was high and the humidity even higher. On the closing holes of the front nine, the rain appeared on the mountains directly facing the clubhouse but we were optimistic it wouldn't be a problem as the wind was blowing in the direction of the rain and the caddies were confident it would pass behind the mountains. By the time we completed the front nine the optimism faded as the rain came lashing down and stayed for about an hour. Greens and fairways were flooded but as the rain cleared the floods faded away and we were able to resume play. As we approached the end of play, the sun was shining brightly again and the humidity back to extreme so those with carts were very happy .

Some excellent scoring again today as well as some best forgotten. The most unusual round came from Roger Awad who took third place with thirty-four points in a round that contained two birdies and five wipes. In a commentary on his round later, Roger explained that he followed his first birdie with consecutive wipes and his second birdie with three consecutive wipes so he vowed to avoid birdies in the future as they bring him bad luck. One wonders what his thinking process will be when he next has a birdie opportunity, quite a dilemma!. Edging out Roger into third place on countback Niall Glover found his name in the winner's list taking second place also with thirty-four. The big winner on the day was Kob Glover with an excellent thirty-eight points, her second thirty-eight within a week, no doubt her handicap needs a serious look. All the near pins were taken with one each to Geoff Parker, Tony Robbins, Niall Glover, and Jimmy Carr.

Apart from the winners, the course proved difficult for most, none more so than our lead three-ball who between them had lost twenty balls between them over the course of the round. Another common feature of the round was the number of holes wiped, too many to mention, perhaps just one of those days.

Wednesday, May 19th

Laem Chabang B & C.

1st Steve Durey (21) 44 points

2nd Myles Knowlson (11) 38 points

3rd Tony Robbins (21) 38 points

Near pins Peter Kelly, Tony Robbins, Myles Knowlson, & Michael Brett.

Despite the high all-in fee of nineteen hundred baht a very decent field of fourteen rolled up for the midweek game at Laem Chabang, our first visit this year. We were allocated the B & C nines both of which were as expected in pristine condition. The weather was hot and humid again with rain not far away accompanied as usual by thunder and lightning, luckily it passed by far enough away for us not to be affected and we all finished dry, apart from a large amount of perspiration, just ask Peter Kelly. Something one might not expect from a course of this standard, a golf cart died after just three holes and had to be replaced which was achieved very quickly so no delay ensued.

Despite the difficulty of the course scoring was of a very high standard. Having won golfer of the month in March and being in somewhat of a slump since then Steve Durey announced his return to top form today with a remarkable score of forty-four points to take first place. Likewise February golfer of the month Tony Robbins also returned to his best today with a fine thirty-eight point to take third place having been beaten on countback by Myles Knowlson. All the near pins were taken with one each going to Myles, Tony, Peter Kelly, and Michael Brett The general consensus was that the course was so good and enjoyable we should make a return visit before normal pricing returns, in the current circumstances that should give us plenty time. If we do return it's unlikely Geoff Parker will partake of an iced coffee which today cost him in excess of one hundred and forty baht ouch!!!.

Friday, May 21st

Crystal Bay C & A

1st Michael Brett (40) points

2nd Jay Babin (22) 38 points

3rd Tony Robbins (21) 33 points

Near pins Dave Ashman, Tony Robbins, & Michael Brett X 2

Yet another day this week where we escaped the rain although somewhere in the distance got a serious drenching. The Crystal Bay course was in great condition particularly the fairways. The greens were a tad slow for some people's liking, but the bunkers were a shambles with hard-packed sand and grass and weeds in many areas. A hot day again with only a hint of a breeze, not enough to cool things down.

Similar to Monday in terms of scoring with a couple of good efforts and the rest best forgotten which was surprising as overall scoring is on the high side at this course. Tony Robbins set out in fine form with eighteen on the front nine only to fade away on the back to take third place with thirty-three points. Jay Babin had another of his increasingly regular good days with thirty-eight points to take second place. The winner on the day was Michael Brett with forty points, he also managed to snag two near pins with one each going to Dave Ashman and Tony Robbins. Having excelled with every facet of his game on Wednesday at Laem Chabang Steve Durey had one of those days when he forgot how to put and finished down the field.

Kob Glover, the big winner at Pleasant Valley.

Steve Durey made Laem Chabang look easy with forty-four points

May 24, 2021

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Before I play at a course, I want to know:

How much it is for low and high season.

Whether caddies are included, or a separate cost. Ditto golf carts. What the expected caddie tip is.

Whether my Thai GF can walk around the course with me, free of charge.

How it is rated in reviews. Although those can be misleading.

In the North, there are hidden jewels such as Haripunchai. There are others that overrate their cachet. Due to the defamation laws here, none of them are likely to be named.

We did not post rates as they tend to change regularly especially at the moment. We did however add the websites of 95% of all listed courses so you can get the latest deals and promotions.

May 24, 2021

1 hour ago, Locked in Oz said:

Okay good idea but very underdone. Before you launch something make sure it covers all the points of interest not just the name of a course and 3 or 4 lines that don't tell you very much at all. All the broo ha ha about how good your forum was this is really pretty ordinary.

Not good enough.

Poor business practices.

Thank you for your honest comment. As time goes by we plan to add more information, however if anyone wanted more information just go to that club's website which we have shown. The concept is for you and your fellow golfers to add a review or a comment with photos or videos which will inform everyone.

May 21, 2021

Golf on Bintan Island

Although Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island in the Riau Archipelago of Indonesia, ironically it is Singapore, that is the closest major city.

It is only a 45-50 minute trip by ferry across the Singapore Strait to the Bintan Resorts and golf clubs.

Ria Bintan Golf Club Ocean Course

There are currently five independently owned and operated beach resorts, four Bintan golf courses by famous designers Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Ian Baker-Finch.

Most travellers to Bintan Resorts arrive at Bandar Bentan Telani at the western tip of the Bintan Resorts from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore.

We welcome your reviews and comments plus photos of any of these courses you have visited recenctly, as it enables your fellow golfers to get the latest information.

May 21, 2021

TPC KL (Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club)

Malaysia is home to over 200 golf courses and remains one of the best value countries for a round of golf in Asia.

Here we have listed a few special courses, which we feel will be suitable for golf vacationers to enjoy.

The Els Club Teluk Datai at Langkawi.

Apart from golf around the Kuala Lumpur the capital city, there are also some good course in Johor, Penang and at Langkawi too.

Malaysia enjoys tropical weather year-round, however the climate is often quite humid. Despite this, the weather is never too hot, and temperatures range from a mild 20°C to 30°C average throughout the year; however, the highlands do experience cooler temperatures.

The nature of Malaysia's weather and climate means that it experiences a monsoon season however this varies depending on the destination.

The south-west experiences its monsoon season from May to September while November to March is the wettest in the north-east.

The best times to visit, especially for beach holidays, is during January and February on the west coast, April in Sabah and June and July on the east coast and in Sarawak.

The monsoon also varies on the Peninsular Malaysia coastline where Kuala Lumpur experiences rainfall from March to April and September to November.

However, outside the monsoon season, the climate is very pleasant, and the weather is characterised by warm sunny days and slightly cooler nights making Malaysia a pleasant place to visit at almost any time of year.

I am sure you may wish to add a few more, so let us know at [email protected] We also encourage you to post any reviews, photos or opions on any courses you have played recently, as it helps to advise other golfers.

May 21, 2021

Sentosa Golf Club announces new partnership with Porsche Asia Pacific

Singapore: Sentosa Golf Club has further expanded its sustainability agenda by announcing a new partnership with Porsche Asia Pacific.

Five new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations have been installed as part of Porsche Destination Charging, a global charging network available at premium lifestyle destinations, making Sentosa the first golf club in Singapore and the Southeast Asia region to join the programme.

As of this week, the AC destination chargers (11kW) are available for use by all plug-in-hybrid or fully electric vehicles that use a Type 2 connector, enabling members to top up their cars free of charge whilst going about their day-to-day business at the club.

It coincides with Sentosa Island’s plan to transform into a carbon-neutral destination by 2030 and Singapore’s ambitious target to phase out all internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040, as well as to create 60,000 EV charging points by 2030 to pave the way for a greater uptake of electric vehicles.

As of January 2021, there were just over 1,200 electric vehicles, out of a total car population of 636,483 units (0.2%), and 1,800 EV charging points in Singapore.

Sentosa Golf Club will use the opportunity to encourage its members to take a more sustainable approach and go electric for the good of the environment.

The installation is the latest sustainability initiative to be rolled out at Sentosa Golf Club, following its reduction of single use plastics, the introduction of numerous water conversation measures, housing bee colonies on the golf course and plans to grind down waste to reuse it as fertiliser.

The club also became the first golf club in the world to sign the UN Sports for Climate Action Initiative last year and is widely recognised for its commitment to sustainability through campaigns such as Keep It Green and, more recently, GAME ON.

Sustainability is also a top priority for Porsche with the brand committed globally to reducing negative environmental impact while further reinforcing positive influence on society.

“We are delighted to have reached an agreement with Porsche Asia Pacific and Porsche Centre Singapore to have five electric charging points installed at Sentosa Golf Club,” said Andrew Johnston, General Manager and Director of Agronomy at Sentosa Golf Club, a Facility Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“Porsche are one of the most credible and best-known makers of top-quality luxury vehicles in the world and it is fantastic to be working with them on this project.

“This agreement aligns itself closely with our overall sustainability agenda, especially our #KeepItGreen campaign that has become one of the club’s key pillars and a way of life. With this new introduction, we will encourage our members to act in a sustainable manner by going electric and helping us on our journey to becoming carbon neutral,” added Johnston.

Henrik Dreier, Director New Business Fields at Porsche Asia Pacific, said: “We are continuously working with partners such as Sentosa Golf Club to provide more charging points at convenient locations that match and seamlessly integrate into the lifestyle of our customers.

“By leading the charge in expanding charging infrastructure for drivers in Singapore and around the globe, we hope the adoption of electric vehicles will become more widespread. Our goal is to become the most sustainable and recognised brand for exclusive and sports mobility in the world.”

Sentosa Golf Club’s latest environmental campaign, GAME ON, was launched at the SMBC Singapore Open in 2020 and is designed to help educate and illustrate to the wider golfing community how important modern sustainable practices are for the betterment of the environment, acting as inspiration for golf clubs around the world to make changes to reduce their own carbon footprint.

Sentosa Golf Club also works closely with GEO Foundation, the international sustainable golf non-profit, to pioneer innovative practices and elevate Sentosa’s commitment to serve as a centre of excellence.

Porsche launched the Taycan, the first all-electric Porsche, in Singapore last year. The electric sports car has been declared the most important innovation driver in the global automotive market by the Centre of Automotive Management (CAM).

By 2025, Porsche aims to have 50 per cent of its vehicles sold to be either fully electric or plug-in hybrid models. The production process of the fully electric Porsche Taycan at the main plant in Zuffenhausen is already CO2-neutral.

Porsche also involves its partners and suppliers in its sustainability strategy. For example, battery cell suppliers may only use electricity from renewable energy sources in their production processes. At the same time, Porsche is working to re-use or recycle used vehicle batteries once they have reached the end of their service life.

May 21, 2021