By Calvin Koh
Singapore Golf Association (SGA) professionals continued to punch above their weight abroad with Shannon Tan once again shining the spotlight on the Republic with her latest exploits on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
The 21-year-old capped what has already been a remarkable season by clinching the prestigious Order of Merit crown at the season-ending Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España – apart from already winning twice this season at the Amundi German Masters in June and the Hero Women’s Indian Open in October.
Tan did not disappoint as she did what no other Singaporean women golfers have done by pipping her English rival Mimi Rhodes to the crown on the final day in Spain – closing with a one-over-par 73 on Sunday for a seven-under-par total of 281, finishing tied for 16th.
Heading into the tournament, Rhodes needed to finish third or better and ahead of Tan, while Tan had to finish 44th or better to seal the Order of Merit title. Rhodes finished tied for seventh.
“It means a lot to me personally. When I started the season, I wasn’t focused on chasing the Order of Merit, my goal was simply to keep improving and put myself in contention more often,” said Tan to The Straits Times, Singapore.
“So to end the year this way is really special. Being the first Singaporean to achieve this makes it even more meaningful.
“I’m proud to represent Singapore on this stage and I hope it shows young players back home that it’s possible to dream big with hard work, belief and the right support.
“If this inspires even one more junior golfer to pick up a club, that would be amazing.”
Buoyed by James Leow’s earlier breakthrough on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), SGA CEO Joshua Ho was full of praise for his compatriots and said: “We are delighted to extend our congratulations to Shannon for winning the prestigious Order of Merit crown on the Ladies European Tour, becoming the first Singaporean to do so.
“It has been a fabulous weekend for Singapore golf with James Leow securing his breakthrough on the Asian Development Tour and Shannon now winning the season-long order of merit in Europe.
“We are confident such achievements by our Singaporean golfers will continue to inspire and raise the popularity of golf in Singapore.”
Turning professional only last year, Tan had finished sixth on the OOM in her maiden 2024 season and was the first Singaporean to win on the LET, with a debut victory at the Magical Kenya Ladies Open in February.
She is also the first golfer from Singapore to compete at the Olympics when she teed off at Paris 2024 and is also the first local female golfer to make the cut at a Major at the Women’s British Open at St Andrews in 2024.
Ends.