Tai, 22, is first S'porean to book spot at US Masters after historic win

Georgia Tech student clinches US collegiate golf championship in a first for Republic and Asia

- Ervin Ang

Up against some of the top college golfers in the United States, Hiroshi Tai made history on May 27 (May 28, Singapore time) when he became the first Asian and Singaporean to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship in Carlsbad, California.

With the win, Tai, who enrolled in Georgia Institute of Technology in 2022, booked his spot in two Majors June's US Open and the 2025 Masters. He will be the first golfer from Singapore to play at Augusta National, home of the prestigious Masters tournament.

Previous winners of the NCAA individual championship include Major champions Ben Crenshaw, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods.

Tai, 22, said in a post-game internerve-racking, view: "It was pretty but winning the individual championship means a lot to me.

"Obviously, coach (Bruce) Heppler has done a great job of recruiting guys. Adding my name to that list is awesome, and I'm just surrounded by a bunch of great guys.

It's been a great experience for me." Singapore Golf Association (SGA) general manager Joshua Ho hailed Tai's victory as a huge achievement and tipped him to play on the top-level PGA Tour one day.