Tiong, crouching Tiger at Sibu GC, eyeing Dragon

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I am a native of Sibu. It is in my home town where I first learned to play golf from my father, Huo Ming, at the tender age of nine. — Alex Tiong, Sibu-born professional golfer

I am a native of Sibu. It is in my home town where I first learned to play golf from my father, Huo Ming, at the tender age of nine. — Alex Tiong, Sibu-born professional golfer

SIBU: Sibu-born professional golfer Alex Tiong Wei Zen has earned his stripes to run coaching clinics for local golfers and to promote keener interest in golf among the young.

Affectionately called “Tiger Tiong” by fellow golfers, 26-yearold Tiong turned professional last April after successfully earning a playing card in the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour event.

“I am a native of Sibu. It is in my home town where I first learned to play golf from my father, Huo Ming, at the tender age of nine,” Tiong recalled. He said after being overseas for a good number of years, it was now time he contributed back to society by offering training to members of Sibu Golf Club (SGC) as well as non-members who wished to take up golf as a sport. Tiong graduated with a degree in Business Administration in the United States in April last year.

He decided to return home to Sibu in February this year after working as an assistant to the general manager of Southwind Country Club in Kansas.

During his college and university years in Dodge City, Kansas, Tiong was making waves on the college golf circuit where he emerged ‘Player of the Year’ for Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. He also emerged champion at the annual High Plains Amateur Championship held in Southwind for amateur golfers of Kansas and Colorado.

This was indeed no small feat for a Sibu boy to make headlines in the United States where golf is considered a very professional and competitive game mostly dominated by the Americans themselves. Back home in Malaysia, apart from winning many trophies in local competitions, Tiong’s major achievements included winning in the 2009 RGB KedahAmateur Open and 23rd Sarawak Closed Golf Tournament 2010 for the Dato Sri William Mawan Challenge Trophy.

In 2005, he outplayed seasoned national players like S. Sivachandran, Mohd Sukree and Lim Eng Seng in the National Trials for a two-under-par 214 victory at Sungai Long Golf & Country Club. In the same year, he was selected for the national squad for the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation Junior Team Championship in Jeju, South Korea, where he emerged the top Malaysian player with a 16th overall finish.

“My stay in Sibu will not be permanent as I believe as a professional golfer I have to get more exposure and will certainly achieve more if I am attached to a bigger club,” Tiong said, in crouching position for the ‘Dragon at large’ which is China. He said he harbours plans to seek greener pastures in China where golf, dubbed as “green opium”, was becoming a staple in recent years for the affluent and middle-class Chinese.

Presently, ‘Tiger’ Tiong is available at the SGC’s driving range from Tuesday to Sunday. Assisting him in the coaching clinic is a 17-year-old junior golfer, Steven Hii, who is already an 8-handicapper. Hii, who is now playing golf fulltime, said he was inspired by Tiong and other Sibu golfing aces like Lee Kah Tung and Lau Chin Leong.

He aims to become a professional golfer by age 20. The coaching provided by the duo is from 11am to 6pm with a very nominal charge of RM9 for 100 balls and RM5 for 50 balls.

Golf clubs are provided free by SGC. Meanwhile SGC president Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck said he hoped with a professional golfer providing the coaching, more young people would take up golf as a sport or profession. “With proper training, you can play very good golf if you start young .

Tiger Woods played golf at the age of three.

“Many top golfers in the world from Korea, Japan and Thailand all started playing at a very young age,” he corroborated. He said currently SGC had over 600 members but not many were active members, making it one of the least occupied clubs in Sarawak. Dr Soon also emphasized that golf was a healthy sport which could be played until one was 80 or 90 years old.

SGC deputy president Ting Siew Hock and vice president Lau Hie Ping, who are both acting captains of the club, concurred with Dr Soon. They are optimistic that with concerted effort to promote golfing in schools, more young people will eventually be attracted to take up the sport.