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OWGR: Part III of the Obscure Countries Top Ranked Golfers

By Mike Randleman

AVIEMORE, SCOTLAND - JUNE 23: Adrian Meronk of Poland lines up his putt on the 10th green during Day Three of the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course on June 23, 2018 in Aviemore, Scotland. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
AVIEMORE, SCOTLAND - JUNE 23: Adrian Meronk of Poland lines up his putt on the 10th green during Day Three of the SSE Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course on June 23, 2018 in Aviemore, Scotland. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images) /
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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – FEBRUARY 01: Quincy Quek of Singapore in action during day one of the 2018 Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf and Country Club on February 1, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images)
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – FEBRUARY 01: Quincy Quek of Singapore in action during day one of the 2018 Maybank Championship at Saujana Golf and Country Club on February 1, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Stanley Chou/Getty Images) /

Singapore

Not only is Quincy Quek the top-ranked golfer in Singapore, but he’s also undoubtedly the best player in the world with the initials QQ.

Quek is no quack when it comes to golf. The 33-year-old is ranked No. 519 in the OWGR and is tops from a nation of 5.6 million people. No. 836 Mardan Mamat.

He’s played in OWGR-qualifying events dating back to 2005 and has been a full-time pro since 2010. Quek had some close calls on tours primarily in Asia but never broke through until 2019.

His career year featured two wins in the span of four weeks. Quek fired 68-67-66-62 to win by one at the Asian Development Tour’s PGM Northport ADT Championship. Even on the minor tours, you’ve got to go low to take home the trophy.

Riding that momentum, Quek made the step up to the PGA Tour Series China where he won the Haikou Classic by two despite a final round 73. From what I can tell, his winner’s speech did not have to be in haiku form.

Quek’s 2019 year consisted primarily of these tours, and also yielded him third-place and eighth-place finishes. He rose from No. 1,210 in the world to start the year to a career-high No. 487.

"“It’s the self-belief that I can get it done and not being afraid to do it. The first win has helped me aim higher a bit,” Quek was quoted by the Straits Times after his second win. “In the past, it’s been up and down; you make some silly mistakes, unforced errors, your mind starts to wander, you get stressed out. “But now I know that I have the ability and it’s just about going out there and getting the job done.”"

There are a lot of pros out there who’d echo those feelings.

All of a sudden, qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics wasn’t out of reach. The field is only 60 golfers, but no more than four from a given country can be represented. No. 252 Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines currently sits in the 60th slot.

The Olympics are postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, which could perhaps play to Quek’s advantage. It was going to be a tough hill to climb in the next few months, but now he’ll theoretically have more time to accumulate OWGR points in advance of July 2021.

Quek was able to make just one start in 2020, a missed cut, as the tours in Asia faced cancelations sooner than in the western hemisphere.

Talented Arizona State University sophomore James Leow might be Singapore’s top talent as an amateur, but for now, Quik is still on top of this budding golf nation.

GOLF IN SINGAPORE

While golf courses around the world are shutting their doors or, at least, making drastic temporary changes, due to COVID-19, there’s been a huge boom recently in Singapore.

I’ll once again cite the Straits Times for their leg work in checking in with golf courses around the country. They reported most golf courses have seen a recent uptick in bookings, some by as much as 15%.

The sport is deemed one of the safer recreation activities as it requires little to no physical interaction. Travel restrictions also prevent Singaporeans from traveling to more golf-abundant nations nearby, like Malaysia or Indonesia

There are approximately 50,000 golfers and 12 private country clubs in Singapore.

The Singapore Open on the Asian Tour is the country’s top tournament. It’s been held since 1961 and currently offers four spots into The Open Championship. A smattering of elite players has come through Sentosa Golf Club, including winners Adam Scott (x3), Angel Cabrera, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Matt Kuchar.

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