WHO WILL BE S'PORE'S NEXT MILLIONAIRE ATHLETE?

In this series, The Straits Times takes a deep dive into the hottest sports topic or debate of the hour.

- Kimberly Kwek and David Lee

From Lamine Yamal’s status as the next big thing to pickleball's growth, we'll ask The Big Question to set you thinking, and talking.

In less than two years as a professional golfer, Singapore’s Shannon Tan has wasted no time making her mark on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and collecting milestones along the way.

Her latest came on Oct 26, when the three-time LET winner surpassed $1 million in career earnings, after finishing tied-44th at the Wistron Ladies Open in Taiwan.

Even her rapid progress has come as a surprise to the 21-year-old, who said: “When I first turned pro, my goal was just to learn and get better every week.

“I definitely didn’t expect things to happen this quickly. My focus was always on improving and adapting to life on tour.

“Looking back now, I’m really proud of how much I’ve grown - both on and off the course.”

In crossing the million-dollar mark, the world No. 97 golfer sits among a select group of Singaporean athletes to have hit the financial milestone, including football legend Fandi Ahmad, veteran golfer Mardan Mamat and Olympic champion swimmer Joseph Schooling.

With Tan the latest sportsperson to meet the mark, who will Singapore’s next million-dollar athlete be? And what is the significance of being a millionaire in an increasingly lucrative, big-money global sports world?

WHY $1 MILLION STILL MATTERS IN SINGAPORE

Like Tan, former star striker Fandi Ahmad did not think much about joining this exclusive club before he became the country’s first sports millionaire in 1992.

For Fandi, the driving force was his passion for football and his desire to be a role model.

The 63-year-old told The Straits Times: “The salary I earned was a recognition of my ability and I took it as a responsibility to show that it is possible to make a living out of playing sports.