Former Japan national coach Gareth Jones roped in to support Singapore golf pros

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Golf Association (SGA) has moved to help its golfers reach greater heights with the appointment of former Japan national head coach Gareth Jones as its high-performance manager (professional squad).

In an announcement on April 22, the SGA said the Australian will oversee its professional programme, which covers 11 full-time touring players, including 2025 Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit winner Shannon Tan.

The 54-year-old will work with players on performance planning, athlete development and tournament preparation, as well as collaborate with their individual coaches to ensure a coordinated, athlete-centric system.

Explaining the need for the new post, SGA chief executive Joshua Ho said the association wanted to provide more dedicated support for its professional players.

Previously, these players would consult national coach Murray Smit and assistant national coach Joshua Shou, although the duo’s main focus is coaching amateur players under the SGA.

Ho added that while the professional players already receive funding through the programme, knowing how to use those resources effectively was equally important.

He said: “Some of them, if it’s their first time doing this, they might not know exactly what to do and with Gareth’s experience, he understands what each player needs in terms of their support team...

“That’s something that, on the first tee of a tournament, they should already be all well-prepared, their support teams are ready to go because every other pro is already doing that.”

Jones, whose two-year contract began in February, works mostly remotely from Adelaide, but keeps a close watch on the progress of Singapore’s golfers through regular weekly check-ins to assess their progress and the support they need.

Among the SGA’s goals is qualifying four golfers for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, following Tan’s historic appearance at the Paris Games in 2024.

Jones brings with him a wealth of experience, most recently spending a decade with the Japan Golf Association, where he held various positions including national team head coach, before stepping down last December.

During his tenure, he worked with some of Japan’s most promising players, including former world No. 1 amateurs Keita Nakajima and Takumi Kanaya, as well as current LPGA player Saki Baba, who won the 2022 US Women’s Amateur.

Under him, Japan also captured the men’s individual and team golds at the 2018 Asian Games, ending a 16-year wait for a title in the sport at the continental event.

Before his stint in Japan, he had various postings in Australia, which included being one of six national coaches in Golf Australia’s national programme, heading the South Australian branch.

“When they are young professionals, you can make one or two mistakes in your career, but you don’t want to make too many, because there’s a cost to it – whether they make a wrong decision, go to the wrong place, or they get injured,” said Jones, who is in the Republic this week for the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times.

“We’re trying to guide them a little bit in avoiding too many errors, and if they can avoid that, they can fast-track things a little bit. That’s going to be helpful.”

The move is part of SGA’s efforts to strengthen support for professionals since launching its professional programme in 2018.

Since then, it has also worked with corporate partners, including Radar Tyres and EFG Bank to back its golfers.

Ho said: “We’re just slowly growing that programme and building on that momentum that we have achieved so that hopefully, we keep going in the correct direction.”

Singapore’s golfers have shown encouraging performances recently, with Tan enjoying a standout 2025 season on the LET.

James Leow and Nicklaus Chiam also secured breakthrough victories on the Asian Development Tour, after their respective wins at the Aramco Invitational Tournament last November and Selangor Masters in February.

Jones hopes to build on the momentum, noting that there are “really talented players” who can excel on circuits such as the Asian Tour.

The last time a Singaporean won on the Asian Tour was in 2015, when veteran Mardan Mamat captured the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open title for his fifth victory on the circuit.

Noting that the process will take time, Jones said: “You just need to be out there, you’ve got to get on tour.

“All of those guys – Nicklaus, James, Gregory (Foo) – who are right in the Asian Development Tour or Asian Tour, they’ve all got the skill at a high enough level to be really competitive on the Asian Tour.

“So then it comes down to high-quality preparation, patience, and there has to be a belief system, which to me is built on the quality of the work you do.”

Chiam welcomed Jones’ appointment, saying: “It’s nice that he’s part of the team, it just gives a different perspective of what we do on course. He has a lot of experience with the Japanese team, so that’s really good.”