For Cambodia’s national golfers, getting to compete is a win on their scorecard

SINGAPORE – Monn Sokchea hooked his tee shot into the trees on the par-four ninth hole, wearing a wide smile as he went searching for his ball.

He settled for a double bogey and eventually signed for an 11-over 83 in his third round of the South-east Asian Amateur Golf Team Championships at Seletar Country Club on July 11.

For most golfers, it would have been a round to forget.

But for the 51-year-old Cambodian, the oldest golfer in the 37-strong field, it was one to remember as he had just shot his best score this tournament. He eventually finished second from bottom in the men’s Putra Cup with a 65-over 353 overall, 76 shots behind winner Enrique Dimayuga.

Sokchea may never be among the title challengers, who are nearly 30 years his junior, but to him, the privilege of playing golf is already his biggest win.

He told The Straits Times: “Some people may look at their high scores and quit very easily, but it doesn’t matter to me. For me, I compete against the golf course. I just want to play my best. I don’t care if I shoot 90 or 100. I play because it’s a challenge.

“You never know if you hit it left, right or centre. You have to control your emotions, like in life. You enjoy the success but take the failures as they come and fight through it.”

After all, Sokchea’s childhood was fraught with challenges. In 1979, his family was wiped out by Khmer Rouge soldiers when he was six and he spent months in the jungle surviving on leaves and roots.

Taken in by a foster family, he was abused and forced to wake up at 2am to work in the rice fields. At 11, he fled to Phnom Penh where he worked odd supermarket jobs to fund his education.

Now, he is a school principal at the Golden Valley Academy of Hope Worldwide. He learnt about golf on a 2010 work trip to the United States and then 37, he was encouraged by a friend to watch Tiger Woods compete at the BMW Championship.

Inspired by the golf legend, Sokchea went to a local driving range in Boston to try the sport for the first time.

“My friend wanted to make fun of me. He passed me a driver and I started to whack the ball without thinking about anything. But my friend told me I had talent and to keep practising,” he said.

“Back then, I didn’t know anything about clubs. I even used the putter to hit the ball until the range worker came over to ask me what was I doing? All I know was I just hit and the ball flies about 50 yards.”

Purchasing used ladies’ clubs at US$5 (S$6.70) a piece, he continued honing his craft back home at Grand Phnom Penh Golf Club. As a school principal, he earns about US$2,200 monthly, which is well above the average salary of US$500.

But golf is an expensive sport in Cambodia. There are about 10 private courses and each round costs between US$100 and US$150.

As a result, the country has yet to produce a professional golfer and its national team comprise a mix of young and senior players like Sokchea and Im Rea Hul, a 39-year-old businessman who finished 31st in the Putra Cup with a 33-over total.

Im, who hails from Siem Reap, started playing golf in 2013 after borrowing a set of clubs from his brother and he has competed at every SEA Games since 2017.

He said: “For the majority of Cambodian people, it is still a bit hard (to pick up golf) because the prices don’t match their incomes. So there is only like a small amount of people who can afford to do so.

“As national golfers, we have a junior golf programme that can help people from rural areas and surrounding provinces for kids to pick up golf earlier. I hope they have something to work for and dream for. That would be the biggest win.”

Peou Pichmeta, 31, who placed 32nd here, last played at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games.

While conceding the lack of practice makes turning professional next to impossible, he hopes to help the next generation of golfers.

From 2016 to 2017, he spent six months training at the Gary Gilchrist Golf Academy in Florida and is now a part-time golf coach in Cambodia.

He hopes to see some of the 40 young golfers in the country’s free junior golf programme turn professional.

He said: “I just want people to learn better golf. It’s expensive, it’s hard. We have to find one who can stay committed and has the talent. The kid has to go to high school and then play college golf in the US. That’s the correct path to turn pro.

“There’s still a long way to go but that’s my biggest dream.”