Singaporean golfer Hiroshi Tai looks forward to Masters debut

SINGAPORE – For the past few years, Hiroshi Tai and his Georgia Institute of Technology teammates would take a two-hour drive to Augusta National for a round of golf every January.

The legendary grounds have always been quiet and serene during the Singaporean’s yearly visits, perfect to soak in the beauty of one of golf’s most hallowed courses.

It will be a vastly different atmosphere, with spectators in tow, when he tees off on those grounds in April 2025 for his Masters debut. But the 22-year-old is looking forward to the experience.

Speaking at a media session arranged by the Singapore Golf Association on Dec 20, the Georgia Tech junior said: “The Masters is probably one of the most special experiences in golf. US Opens are cool, British Opens are cool, but the Masters – they keep it at the same course every year, and then the caddies are all wearing the white bib, so that is pretty cool.

“I really enjoy the tradition aspect of it, and that’s probably why I liked it the most since I was young.”

The Masters has always been the one tournament he makes sure to catch.

His earliest memory of the tournament was when Jordan Spieth won it in 2015. It was memorable to Tai because he admires how the American “doesn’t necessarily hit it far, but he finds a way to score well”.

He also noted that he has the same putting grip – a reverse grip – and similar putters as Spieth.

Tai was also at Augusta with his teammates on the final day of the Masters in April. South African Christo Lamprecht, a Georgia Tech teammate who was competing at the Masters, had given them tickets, but Tai never expected that he would be on the other side of the ropes the following year.

He earned his spot by winning the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship in California in May, becoming the first Asian and Singaporean to achieve the feat. This also earned him a spot in two of golf’s Majors – the US Open in June 2024 and the 2025 Masters.

Tai said: “I think just giving me the opportunity to play in the US Open and Masters is big. The US Open, you can qualify for. Masters, you can’t really qualify for, so those two are very important to me.”

While he did not make the cut on his Major debut at the US Open in Pinehurst, where he finished joint-109th, the experience was eye-opening for the amateur as he observed the preparation that went into some of the world’s best players’ routines.

He said: “I just realised how good they are around the greens and putting, that was a big difference.

“People just see professionals go on the golf course, but they don’t realise they’re at the golf course for two hours before they even tee off.”

Born in Hong Kong to a Singaporean father and Japanese mother, Tai lived in the Republic aged two to nine. He was introduced to golf by his parents, who took him to the Bukit range at the Singapore Island Country Club when he was four.

Tai then lived in Shanghai for three years before relocating to the United States. He returned to Singapore in 2020 for national service, following which he embarked on a business administration degree at Georgia Tech.

With an eye on the PGA Tour, he is working towards turning professional after graduating in 2026.

He also hopes to follow in the footsteps of Shannon Tan, who became the first Singaporean to play at the Olympics when she competed at Paris 2024.

Also pointing to Georgia Tech alumnus Matt Kuchar, a bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Games, Tai said: “Playing in the Olympics is definitely cool... Representing your country is really special, not many people do that very often.”

He believes being part of the collegiate set-up has been crucial to his development and Tan’s progress.

Tan, who also became the first Singaporean to win on the Ladies European Tour in 2024, studied at Texas Tech before taking a gap year to turn professional.

Tai said: “There’s always gonna be someone better than you in the US, or there’s always gonna be someone that spends more time on practising or whatever it is, so being pushed like that is really important.”