Singapore’s men’s team capped off another historic week by matching their women’s achievement, securing the nation’s best-ever result at the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) with a tied-18th finish at the Tanah Merah Country Club on Saturday.
Singapore’s previous best showing was a solo 21st position in Paris in 2022. The trio of Hiroshi Tai, Brayden Lee and Troy Storm compiled a four-under-par 572 total, with 18-year-old Lee saving his best round for the last by finally breaking par with a three-under-par 69. The women’s team also secured their best finish at the WATC with a tied-15th result at the Espirito Santo Trophy last week.
For National Coach Murray Smit, the months of preparation, belief, and resilience from his young team competing on amateur golf’s biggest stage paid off as he was proud of his charges, who contributed in crucial moments throughout the week.
“I’m just really proud of all three players. They all chipped in at various points. Our previous finish was 21st in France. We were in the top half this week and that’s another milestone achievement and something we can really build on from here,” said Smit.
Lee was also pleased to have found his rhythm when it mattered most by posting his lowest score for the week.
“The last round was definitely the best round. I just played really clean golf out there. I think I hit about 17 greens today, so my shots were on point. The first three days were pretty similar, even though the scores were a little bit different. I think it was just not up to par. I didn’t really play golf at all out there then,” said Lee.
South Africa, meanwhile, lifted the Eisenhower Trophy for the very first time with a commanding eight-shot victory over Australia after totalling a 29-under-par 547 on the Tampines course.
Team captain Gavin Groves hailed the breakthrough victory, which marked a historic moment for South African amateur golf.
The guys played unbelievable golf all week. It’s been such a great experience being here with the hospitality, the people, the staff, everything has been incredible. And, of course, the trophy is the cherry on top,” said Groves.
“This win has been a long time coming. There have been a lot of near misses and many very talented teams who fell just short. But we’ve seen the steady upward trend over the years, and this victory is the result of that continued progress.”
Christiaan Maas, ranked sixth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR®), topped the individual leaderboard and anchored his team’s dominant performance.
“I’m relieved and happy that I kept my head down today and didn’t back off. It’s a long week, and building a lead comes with a lot of pressure. You don’t want to mess it up,” said Maas.
“In team golf, momentum can shift quickly. A few birdies here and there can turn things around, so I just tried to stay focused and execute my shots.”
Hosted by the Singapore Golf Association (SGA) and conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), the WATC is held every two years and is widely regarded as the pinnacle of amateur team golf.
The official scoring are available here.