S’pore golfer James Leow secures Asian Tour card for 2026 with win in Saudi Arabia

SINGAPORE – After nearly three years as a professional golfer, James Leow finally earned the breakthrough he had been chasing. In one of the most crucial moments of his career, the Singaporean golfer stormed to his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) victory with a nine-under 63 in the closing round of the season-ending Aramco Invitational Tournament on Nov 29.

Starting the day tied-sixth at 14-under 202 and five strokes behind England’s overnight leader Angus Flanagan, Leow produced a brilliant final-round charge at the Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to finish with a 23-under 265 total and seal his first ADT win.

Flanagan (70) was two shots behind, while Filipino Carl Jano Corpus (66) was a further shot back in third.

The triumph also propelled Leow from 51st to fourth in the Tour’s Order of Merit (OOM) – the season-long race to crown the circuit’s top player – securing him one of the 10 cards available for the 2026 Asian Tour season.

Thai golfer Tawit Polthai finished atop the OOM, followed by Corpus and Englishman Matt Killen.

Leow said: “I’ve yet to soak in everything, there’s so much going on after the win but it’s a big sigh of relief.

“I’ve been struggling since I turned pro for the last few years, I’ve been trying to get that first international win.

“I’ve come close many times and had it slip away on the last or second last round so it’s pretty emotional getting this win, especially on the big stage for the end of the ADT season.”

The ADT serves as the developmental circuit for the Asian Tour.

Leow’s achievement sees him join only a handful of Singapore golfers to earn full status on the regional circuit, following in the footsteps of Mardan Mamat, a five-time winner on the Tour, as well as Lam Chih Bing, Quincy Quek and Choo Tze Huang.

The 28-year-old is also just the fourth Singaporean to win on the ADT after Mardan, Quek and Johnson Poh.

He had been knocking on the door in recent weeks, earning his first top-three finish on the China Tour at the Wanning Open on Nov 3 and repeating the feat at the Chengdu Open on Nov 23.

He carried that form into Saudi Arabia, opening the US$250,000 (S$324,220) event with rounds of 66, 68 and 68.

The world No. 1,288 then stepped up another level on the final day, carding four birdies in his first six holes.

Although a bogey on the par-three eighth briefly stalled his momentum, he immediately regrouped with a birdie on the ninth, an eagle on the 12th and another birdie on the 13th.

A dropped shot on the 15th did little to halt his charge, as he rattled off three consecutive birdies from the 16th to 18th to secure the win and pocket the winner’s cheque of US$43,750.

He highlighted that this was a team effort, thanking his family and coach.

On what made the difference this week, he said: “It’s a lot about just going out there, having fun and playing myself against the golf course.

“It wasn’t really about where the opponents or playing partners were at or what they’re doing. It’s about just me and the golf course and my golf and how I can do my best and score the best that I can.”

National coach Murray Smit hailed Leow’s accomplishment, saying: “Congratulations to James and his team, it is a significant boost for golf in Singapore as such achievements from our golfers will continue to inspire and shine the spotlight on our sporting excellence in Singapore.”

Leow turned professional in 2022 after an accomplished amateur career. His standout achievement was winning the individual gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, where he claimed Singapore’s first individual golf gold in three decades.

In 2022, he beat highly ranked opponents to win the Thunderbird Collegiate and the Pacific Coast Amateur titles in the United States, while playing for Arizona State University.

He was also on the Team International side who defeated the United States at the prestigious Palmer Cup.

With Asian Tour status secured, Leow is looking forward to the challenge of next season.

He said: “We’re playing for bigger money and with that said, there’s a lot more travel, bigger events, stronger players on many multitudes, with the LIV guys and all.

“I’m looking forward to competing against those guys and try to be on top of them, that will be the goal in mind. Just looking forward to the fun that’s going to be out there for the whole year.”