Amateur Hiroshi Tai will be the first Singaporean to win in the Masters of Augusta National (Andrew Redington)
Hiroshi Tai will make history as the first Singaporean golfer to play in the masters this week, but the 23 -year -old can count on a strong connection in Georgia with Buoy his offer for low amateur honors in Augusta National.
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Tai obtained his place in the field for the first major of the year almost a year ago, when he won the college championship NCAA representing Georgia Tech.
It is the Alma Mater of US Golf Great and the national co-founder of Augusta, Bobby Jones, and creates a link to this day between the teams of the club and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech.
But Tai said on Monday that the road down of Magnolia Lane felt “a little different” when he arrived to prepare for his first masters.
“Obviously, being at Georgia Tech and there is a lot of history involved with the Masters with Bobby Jones as a founder and he obviously played Georgia Tech, a graduate of there,” said Tai.
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“So there is a lot of history at Georgia Tech and connected with the Masters. It was a really cool experience.
“And driving Magnolia Lane, not even today, any other day, would be incredible,” he said. “I really enjoy a lot.”
But Tai, who had his first taste for major championship golf when he played the US Open in Pinehurst last year, is also stimulated by strong support for the house, and he is proud to be the first in his country to play the masters.
“I think it means a lot for me because I am obviously proud of where I come from and I have a lot of friends and family who live there,” he said.
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“My parents still live there. It was a really cool experience so far, and I really enjoyed everything. I am really honored to be here too.”
Born in Hong Kong of a Singaporean father and a Japanese mother, Tai was presented at the Golf in Singapore at the age of four and perfected her game at the preparatory school of Windermere in Florida.
His golf aspirations had to wait until he finished his military service in Singapore, but he said that his technical experience in Georgia had accelerated his progress.
“I think that playing university golf course, especially in terms of division I, you play with some of the best amateurs in the world,” he said.
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“Many of them have been successful in PGA Tour events as an amateurs and as a college players, so I think you really play against some of the best players you can find at this level, and that really helped me grow as a person and as a player in the past two years.”
BB / JS
