What is the biggest challenge you faced in your career thus far?
I think as a professional golfer every player faces challenges. We have seen many golfers on the PGA tour or European tour who have had great stretches and then they all of a sudden “lost their game”. I would say probably during my 2-3rd year as a pro the thought of quitting had crossed my mind. I was not happy with my golf swing and had a lot of things going on outside of golf as well. So I would say the toughest part of being a professional golfer is fighting through the tough stretches. There are stories of golfers who have gone 10 tournaments in a row missing the cut and then on the 11th tournament they win! But I think this is also the beauty of the game. Every week we restart and it’s a new location, new course, new conditions, new everything. It’s not like any other sport where you play on the same court or field every time.
What would you do differently if you could start your career all over again?
To be honest I don’t think there is a whole lot I would change. I think it was only when I was a senior in college that I started to seriously focus on the parts of my game that needed improvement and actually analyzed my statistics to try to improve. I guess if there was one thing I would change from the time I turned pro until now would be to invest in the activities outside of the actual golf game that can have major impacts, for example a fitness coach. I started using a personal trainer around September of 2017 and I definitely think it helped strengthen my body and prepare my body for the long stretches of tournaments.
How do you balance passion and business?
I feel like I understood what golf as a career meant. I tried to treat this job like any other job. I spend 6-8 hours a day playing or practicing golf, and then gym time about 3-5 times a week. I think since golf is my passion it makes it easier to balance it since I get to enjoy what I do (most of the time). But the business side is definitely important because our sponsors are the most important people/investors to us. Without individual and tournament sponsors we wouldn’t be able to play the game we love, which some players forget to understand. This is where the business side comes into play. Making sure the sponsors are happy is an important relationship to maintain for future tournaments to occur.
What's your ultimate career goal?
When I first turned pro I didn’t really have an ultimate goal to be honest. But around the time of the 2016 Olympics when golf was reintroduced, that was when this idea and goal of trying to qualify for the 2020 Olympics came about, and this has been my target/goal since then. That was the short term goal. I told myself when I started this career that I would re-evaluate at 4-5 years to see if I could actually make a living with this career choice. So far each year has proven to be better than the previous year which is why I am still pursuing it.
Golf is such a mental game -- how do you control your emotions?
Mental side is important for golf. There is a saying that golf is a game of inches: 6 inches between your ears. At university, my golf coach focused on the mental side and how you should act and react versus the actual fundamentals of the golf swings. Read books on how to manage your emotions, keep your mind distracted and play without thinking too much. As life situations change, I do think we become more patient and more focused in our thoughts and on the golf course. In golf there are so many elements that you cannot control such as the condition of the golf course. You can hit a perfect golf shot but if the wind changes right when you hit, you only have two ways you can react: you can be upset with something you cannot control that affected your shot, or accept it and move on -- it is what it is. That's why I think golf is such a beautiful sport. Golf teaches you so many life skills that other sports perhaps may not give you.
What’s the biggest difference for you from amateur to pro?
I think it is just realizing that you have to be more professional. As a professional you are representing your respective tour (Asian Tour for me). I mean obviously the fact that you are playing for money makes a difference, and knowing that literally your livelihood relies on how well you play. But I don‘t think a whole lot really changed. Maybe the mentality of just understanding that this is your career now and wanting to move up the rankings on that tour or in the world are incentives for you to want to practice hard and play well.
How important is preparation/game strategy in golf? Walk us through your pre-tournament routine.
I think every player is different when it comes to pre-tournament preparation. For me preparation before a tournament (round) is very important to help me feel comfortable and confident before I start. When I am preparing for a tournament I usually try to arrive 3 days before it starts, so if it is a Thursday start I will try and arrive either Sunday night or Monday morning. This allows me to play a full 18 holes and then maybe another 9 holes before the first round. It gives my body time to adjust to new country, new climate, and new schedule. On the Wednesday night before the first round I usually like to go through my yardage book hole by hole and visualize what clubs I will be hitting on each hole. I will also check the weather and the wind direction for that day so that I am aware of what the conditions are going to be like. Usually the tournament also gives us the pin positions before the round so I typically like to note those in my book so that I can save some time when I am in my round. The most important is getting a good night's rest. I try to get 8 hours minimum before a tournament round so that my body won’t get tired.
Tell us a fun fact about your industry that outsiders wouldn't know.
I would go back to my previous comment about how golf is the only sport where we play on a different course, in different temperatures/conditions, and where everyone has to battle different elements depending on what time of day they play. This is the unique part of the game but also the part of the game where luck needs to be on your side. You hear sometimes golfer say “well it just wasn’t my week, I got the bad end of the draw” and this happens in this industry. One week everything might be against you in every way but the next week everything could be going your way, and at the same time everything about your golf game (the part you can actually control) has not changed at all.
What about Magani resonated/appealed to you?
One of the first things that appealed to me is Magani's “no sweat” material. I sweat a lot and I always hate when I get sweat stains or just feel sticky in my apparel. Magani has managed to create a product that I can wear anywhere and feel comfortable no matter the situation -- indoor or outdoor. I would also say Magani's batik colours and patterns are unique and not the ordinary and traditional ones we usually see around. Magani's modern take on batik is refreshing and exciting to me.
