Koh in pole position to qualify for HSBC Women’s Champions

SINGAPORE — Putting financial woes behind her, national golfer Koh Sock Hwee is focused on letting her game do the talking as she puts herself in pole position to claim the sole qualifying spot for March’s HSBC Women’s Champions tournament.

The 26-year-old fired a two-over-par 74 at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course to take a two-stroke lead over the 11-women field in the two-day host country qualifying event.

Amanda Tan, 16, is second with a 78, while Jacqueline Young and Ashley Loh are joint-third (80) entering the final day of the event today.

Koh, who is still trying to raise funds for the S$2,580 entry fee to enter the China LPGA Tour in March, said qualifying for the HSBC Women’s Champions is her top priority at the moment.

“Qualifying for the HSBC Women’s Champions will definitely help to raise my profile more, and that is important in garnering the attention of sponsors,” she said. “The job now at hand is just to qualify for this event first. I need to be focused on this, and I don’t want to get distracted by thinking (about my problems) first.

“The both times I qualified for the tournament (2012, 2015), I came from behind to win it. This is the first time that I am actually leading going into the second day. I just want to stick to my game plan for tomorrow, don’t think about my scores, be relaxed, and enjoy the time out there.”

Koh, whose best result at the Serapong Golf Course is a three-under 69, which she recorded en route to achieving an individual bronze medal at the 2015 South-east Asian Games in Singapore — the first local female golfer to get a medal in 24 years — said it is the first time in a long while she felt so relaxed in a competition.

“I tend to rush the game, and be quite nervous,” she said. “But my game has matured and I grew a lot with the help of my coach (Australian Andrew Welsford). He keeps instilling the confidence in me that I am a good player, a good enough player to win.”

Koh is currently in talks with local insurance giants Great Eastern Life about a charity fund-raising event for her, which may take place this year. ADELENE WONG