FUN END TO TAI'S AMATEUR CAREER

Golfer hopes to enjoy team event with Troy and Brayden, as S'porean turns pro in 2026

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent

Hiroshi Tai has had an amateur career to remember, with the national golfer playing on the sport's biggest stages at the US Open and Masters over the last 11/2 years.

Now, as the 23-year-old looks to take the next step by turning professional in 2026 after graduating from the Georgia Institute of Technology, he hopes to make the most of his final year as an amateur.

One of the tournaments Tai is looking forward to is the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC), where he will represent Singapore alongside Brayden Lee and Troy Storm.

The event is at the Tanah Merah Country Club's Tampines Course from Oct 8 to 11, with the trio competing for the Eisenhower Trophy.

Tai, who played in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the WATC, noted that the tournament is significant as once he turns professional, the opportunity to play team events may not come by often.

"The next few years as I turn pro and after that, I'm learning to enjoy everything," he said.

"Because if I was 15 years old and told myself I'd get to play in the WATC, I probably wouldn't have believed myself.