SEASON OF CHANGE
The world of professional golf is becoming a boiling pot steeped in international mystique. Round and round the roulette wheel goes, where it stops nobody knows. There is no more border to consider. The tours are not bound by geography anymore as money follows the crowds that follow the players who follow the money. Europe’s best players have historically been globetrotters, and Sergio Garcia and Graeme Mcdowell continue to prove this when they tee it up at The International Series Macau this month. LIV Golf has seen the best from the US fly around the world, playing in tournaments and in front of spectators that have, till now, been starved of seeing Americans p play on their home soil.
While this is a good thing for golf fans in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia – three countries who have had the fortune of hosting LIV events – it may have thrown the order of the professional game into the wind for the other professional tours.
Another good thing for golf in Singapore is the continued Anot hs sponsorship from EFG Bank, who has been unequivocal in their support of the Singapore Golf Association, as well as several young players looking for opportunities as professionals. We are fortunate to have Albert Chiu, Executive Chairman of EFG Bank Asia Pacific, in our cover story speaking candidly about why a Swiss bank has been so active in helping sports and the arts in Singapore and Hong Kong.
In golf, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Players – pro or recreational – continue to look for clubs that hit longer and straighter. And in this issue, new drivers and fairway metals from Callaway and Cobra profess to offer them greater hope with their new launches. Yet if you’d rather spend more time on your game, then money in your equipment, Adrian Fryer’s tips starting on p25 should help you with more consistency. Yes, 2024 is destined to be a year in transition. What we’ll transition to, however, remains to be seen. We can only look forward to the game getting more and more interesting from here.