Harrington calls Singapore Open ‘Asia’s Major’ (Singapore Open Diary)
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANSSaturday, October 31, 2009
SENTOSA - Padraig Harrington has been all praise for the Serapong Course at the Sentosa Golf Club. He called it one of the best championship layouts in world golf. On Saturday he also referred to the Barclays Singapore Open as Asias Major.
Harrington, the two-time British Open champion, who has also won the PGA Championships once, in his personal online tour diary wrote: This event has been referred to as Asias Major, as the course and the tournament are set up like a Major.
This is one of the best courses that we play all year and the way the course was set up last year was brilliant; I really dont think they could have set it up any better.
This year there is a different set up — the rough is much heavier and the greens are much softer. If you miss the fairway it is touch and go as to whether or not you will have to chip it out sideways.
It is definitely set up tougher than a US Open course — the fairways are narrower and the rough just off the fairway is heavier; there is no semi rough just fairway and then rough. There is definitely a premium on hitting the fairway this week.
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An ace but no watch for Chapchai
Chapchai Nirat, that burly but always smiling Thai golfer, who set a world record while winning this years SAIL Open with a record 32-under-par, shot the first hole-in-one of this years Singapore Open. He holed out with a two iron on the 239-yard par-3 eighth hole, which was his second last of the day.
Chapchai led last years Singapore Open by three shots heading into the final round but carded a 78 to finish joint seventh. I thought it was going to be close — it took a nice bounce to the right and went into the hole, said Chapchai, who carded a 67 for the round.
It was the ninth ace on the Asian Tour and the 29th on the European Tour this season.
Alas, all Chapchai got was applause, for the hugely coveted Audemars Piguet watch was on offer only for a hole-in-one on the 14th.
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Hockey star on the bag for Ernie Els
Ernie Els has got former US National Hockey League star Dan Quinn on the bag this week. Els gave his regular caddy Ricci Roberts a couple of weeks off and asked Quinn if he fancied a couple of weeks in Asia.
Quinn, a scratch golfer, grabbed the chance as he had never travelled to Singapore — in fact he had never gone further east than Greece.
Els met the former Pittsburgh Penguins centre Quinn when he moved to West Palm Beach, Florida with his family 18 months ago. Els and Quinn have since become good friends.
Quinn embarked on a career in golf after he finished his hockey career in 1996 and has featured on the minor tours in the US. In 2000, he caddied for John Daly at the US Open.
Els said Quinn was more than just a bag carrier. He gave advice on clubs and also helped read some of the greens on the Serapong Course at Sentosa Golf Club.
