Hiccups, sacrifices par for the course for Singaporean pro golfer Ryan Ang

SINGAPORE – Ryan Ang’s maiden year as a professional golfer has been filled with interesting experiences, including once having a flight cancelled on him at the 11th hour.

This incident happened in November 2024, when the Singaporean golfer was travelling from Melbourne to Brisbane for the Australian PGA Championship.

He had planned to arrive in Brisbane the night before the qualifier on Nov 18. But he realised only at the airport that his 9pm flight had been cancelled, leaving him “semi-panicking” as he scrambled to find a solution.

He ended up sleeping on a friend’s apartment floor that night and caught a 6am flight, getting to the Brisbane Golf Club just hours before his round.

With just two hours of sleep, Ang’s expectations were low but he surprised himself by shooting a six-under 66 in the qualifying round to earn himself a spot in the A$2 million (S$1.7 million) event, one of the major championships on the PGA Tour of Australasia (PGATA).

“I was worried that it would affect my performance, I didn’t expect that I would qualify, not even in my wildest dreams because there were only two spots,” said Ang, who made the cut at the Australian PGA event and ended tied-66th.

“It was crazy that it happened, I’m still not sure how it did.”

Thankfully for the 25-year-old, that was a one-time occurrence and he has had a smooth transition to professional life.

A promising performance in his first PGATA event – the Western Australia PGA Championship – in October 2024 saw him finish tied-fourth and the world No. 1,525 made the cut in six of the eight tournaments that followed, earning A$27,104.58 so far.

While he has adjusted well to life on tour, it also requires him to spend longer periods of time away from home. Instead of being overseas for a week-long competition, he can now be away for a few weeks at a time.

It is inevitable that Ang has had to miss important occasions such as Chinese New Year and his loved ones’ birthdays.

He missed his mother’s birthday on Jan 22 and will not be home for the first few days of the New Year celebrations as he plays in the Jan 30-Feb 2 Webex Players Series Murray River at the Cobram Barooga Golf Club.

But this is not unusual for Ang, who recalled having a New Year’s countdown on the plane while travelling for competitions.

His family and friends have been supportive and accept that this is part of Ang’s journey as an athlete.

When he told his parents he would not be in Singapore for the festival, his father laughed, while his mother said, “What to do?”

Instead he tries to show his concern for loved ones by calling them and getting them gifts when he is travelling.

He said: “This is still your job and you have to focus on it. It’s just the sacrifice you have to make that you can’t be at home as often. 

“A lot of athletes understand that it’s part and parcel of the job.”

With the PGATA season ending in March, Ang is eager to learn and grow as a golfer.

Although he no longer travels with the national squad like he used to as an amateur, he has made friends on the tour who have made him feel welcome.

He aims to finish within the top 50 on the PGATA’s Order of Merit as it guarantees him starts in the Australian Majors – the Australian PGA Championship, Australian Open and Australian Masters – next season. He is currently 45th on the list.

His other goals include getting full status for the China Tour to fill up the rest of his season and getting into the final stage of the Asian Tour’s Qualifying School.

As he looks to progress in his professional career, Ang believes the past few months on the PGATA have helped his development.

He said: “It’s just a very competitive tour – the course set-ups are very challenging, there are so many good players who come out of it.

“It’s a good breeding tour and a solid tour for people to move up the ranks.”