INSIDE THE ROPES

Timothy Low shares how he segued from a professional golf career into being one of the most recognisable voices in Asia's golf broadcasting.

- TIM PINNEGAR

I first met Timothy Low when we were paired together at the 2005 Singapore Amateur Open.

Even at the tender age of 14, he exuded a polite but confident air – something everyone who has met him since will attest to. However, life did not begin easily for Timothy. His father passed away from pancreatic cancer when he was just seven years old, and he was raised by his mother, Christina, along with his grandparents.

He recalls that it was his mother who introduced him to golf, “Mum picked up golf after my father passed, and I followed her to the range. After a few visits I told her I could do better.” There's that confidence for you.

It worked – a set of clubs for his 10th birthday set Timothy on his way. He put those clubs to good use at Warren Country Club, winning several local junior tournaments that earned him a place in 2005 at the Singapore Sports School, where he further developed his game.

After completing national service in 2012, Tim took the leap and turned professional, playing mainly on the Asian Development Tour, as well as a few events in the Middle East and Africa. Success, however, was hard to come by, and apart from one top 10 finish, it was two years of lower-order results. It was time for a rethink, though Timothy readily admits, “I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew I still wanted to be in the golf industry.”

TIME FOR TV

While his golf results had not made an impact, his larger-than-life personality certainly had. This led to Timothy being offered the chance to try out as a studio guest for Fox Sports Asia, who were covering the Accenture World Match Play Championship.