The Bandar Malaysia Open was a tournament which brought ignition and engines revving for our golf enthusiasts and competitors in Malaysia. The complete hand brake and park of not going forward with the contract renewals of the PGA CIMB Classic and Sime Darby LPGA brought Malaysia’s golf industry to an all time low and it was in dire need of a jump start.
The Asian Tour and in partnership with the Japan Tour event gave our local golf professionals the opportunity to show their talents, and also gave our competing amateurs a chance to gain out of this world experience. This tournament was not just a comeback from a term of hiatus, but it is an event where we have a good number of local golf professionals known to date, play on home ground. It made the tournament that much special for the people who love the game and who are proud to have such a prestigious tournament on home soil. Life is such, this particular story seemed to be overshadowed by other entities, and as a person who was that much involved in the tournament, it was truly disheartening to see and experience.
I caddied for my brother who was one of the 37 local professionals who earned a spot to play in the event. I remember it clearly. We were on our last hole, which was the 9th dog leg left par 4. His ball was on the left in the rough. Tough shot to say the least, with no view of the green in sight. In all terms, we were flying blind. We counted our yardage, checked the wind, picked a club, and we were ready for takeoff. I climbed up the hill to gain just a slight view of the pin, and his ball was soaring dead at it.
“Be the number baby, be the number!” I whispered to myself. Once I lost track of the ball as it descended from the air, I thought we hit an excellent shot. However we did not hear any sound, let alone a clap from the crowd. At that moment in time my brother and I looked at each other and wondered if the ball had rolled off to the left, or it went way past the green. In our minds, we thought we hit a bad shot. Two of our playing partners hit and we heard claps for both shots. We then started making our way closer to the green, and saw three balls in close vicinity to the pin. Ours was just a tad bit further sitting on the fringe. I looked at my brother with a bewildered look.
“We hit a great shot. Was that not worthy enough for a few claps to show encouragement from where we were?” I said.
My brother looked at me and said, “ Don’t worry about it adik girl. We hit a good shot either way. We will just show it to them.”
This exact reaction projected by the Malaysian spectators is what I have observed and heard on numerous occasions like a broken record, whether it be as a spectator or a player. The paucity of support not only brings down the morale of the atmosphere of the game, but the spirits of the competitors who worked hard to be there on that day.
It truly was upsetting for me because it was not a shot where we were in the bushes or 20 yards off the green. It was a good shot from where we were and thought we made a great recovery. 3 golf balls all within the putting zone, and yet for our local pro who was just slightly further away from the rest, did not deserve any recognition. How does it even make sense? Is it hard to clap for a local professional if they hit an okay shot compared to a foreign player who hit his shot and landed in close proximity of each other on the green? Not only was this an issue I experienced, but another form of degrading was found in a different medium. As a former collegiate golfer, and intend to pursue a career in golf, I told myself, is it worth “the pains of rejection?”
A couple of days ago, I was looking through an old Star Newspaper sports section and came across an article about the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020. The article written by Tan Ming Wai caught my attention. The article expressed great interest in a few professionals to be the only hope Malaysia had in potentially winning the coveted trophy, and was gutted to not have the star player home to play. No disrespect to the writer, but the problem I had with the article was there were a total of 37 Malaysian professionals competing in the tournament. Let me repeat and justify myself. 37 highly skilled individuals who earned a spot to play in a prestigious tournament. Why is it we only have faith in a few? Are the others not qualified enough to rise to the occasion? Gaining a spot in a tournament is never easy. You work your heart out all year to gain ranks. You grind day in and day out to put food on the table, and to earn recognition when you stand on the podium with the trophy at hand while the Malaysian flag is raised with due respect. Each of these 37 individuals did just that to prove themselves that they are worthy enough to perform on the big stage. So why the lack of support and favoritism on certain players? Any of these 37 professionals could be a potential winner who deserves the support and a pat on the back for not only representing themselves at such a high level, but to also put our country first and raise our national flag among renowned international competitors.
What this article represents is the shortcomings of learning about the local golf professionals we have here in Malaysia. Granted we have a few that have ventured out of the country to seek bigger tournaments, but does it give us a right to not recognize the rest who are also competing on a stage where aspiring golfers dream to be in? I read the newspaper article and it really disappointed me to know how we look down on these people who work day in and day out to get better in their line of work. If I was the writer of that article, I would not prominently pick a few players out of the 37 who were competing in the tournament. I would say, “How proud we should be to have a good number of Malaysians representing our Jalur Gemilang on home turf, and how exciting it is to see our boys competing on a big stage, hoping to be the first ever Malaysian winner.” That is how the article should be. Not by saying only 3 or 4 players out of the 37 are the only hope Malaysia has of winning the tournament and worst of it all to say how our only hope of winning is diminished because our No. 1 player decided not to play on his home turf. Patriotism cease to exist, despite achieving his success funded by Malaysian tax payers and private institutions. By the looks of it, it just seems this particular article is degrading our golf professionals instead of boosting their spirits to fight. These golf professionals deserve the recognition for being at the level they are at, and we as Malaysians should stand beside them to give our full support. A little nudge and commendation goes a long way even if we do not realize the significance and power it holds.
“Hey man! You got this! Go out there and do well.”
How does it feel when someone tells you this as you are about to go and do something, regardless of how big or small it is? It feels good doesn’t it? Encouragement is the exact mentality we should have, and not the attitude of looking down on a person if they fail to achieve something. Every single person on this Earth is not perfect. We have flaws, we have strengths, and we have weaknesses. Perfection does not exist in us.
So to all who have read this far, I leave this paragraph with a touch of optimism. Clap when someone performs on a big stage, whether it was a bad or good showing. Cheer when someone goes out to represent your country, even if they did not achieve first place. Encourage when someone has lost all hope, and is not willing to push forward. Last but not least, reciprocate a smile when one is given to you. Life is too short to be judging and degrading someone or something. Be kind always, hate less, and never judge a book by its cover. As a fellow golfer, I am extremely proud of the boys who played in the Bandar Malaysia Open, regardless if they missed the cut or not. It takes perseverance and dedication to earn that spot. Keep up the good fight, and never give up the burning desire to be better than you were yesterday.
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