Thai golfer Ekpharit Wu takes joint lead at S’pore Open with his wife Pam on his bag

SINGAPORE – Since Thai golfer Ekpharit Wu turned professional in 2020, his wife Pam has been by his side at every tournament.

She is not only a spectator at events, but has also served as his caddie over the last six years, supporting him through various milestones in his career.

Their partnership off the course has proved effective inside the ropes too, with Ekpharit claiming three titles – two on the All Thailand Golf Tour and one on the Asian Tour – since he joined the paid ranks.

Pam was once again on the 26-year-old’s bag as he shot a flawless seven-under 64 in the first round of the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times on April 23, claiming a share of the lead alongside South Korea’s Ham Jeong-woo.

The duo are two strokes ahead of American Charles Porter, Filipino Aidric Chan and Zimbabwean Kieran Vincent at the US$2 million (S$2.55 million) event staged at Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong Course.

Ekpharit said his wife is a great help as caddie, adding: “She gives me more confidence on the course, helping by my side, checking the wind, confirming the shots, everything, she’s always there.

“She helps me not be angry on the golf course. Sometimes there are bad shots on the course, so managing my emotions is important and she helps me a lot with that.”

Despite it being his first time playing at the Serapong Course, Ekpharit got off to a blistering start on the back nine with five birdies.

Although the momentum slowed after the turn, he still wrapped up the day with an unblemished scorecard, adding two more birdies on holes No. 4 and 7.

The 581st-ranked golfer said keeping things simple was key to his impressive round.

He said: “My mindset is, whether the golf course is hard or easy, you still have to play it so I just think about it shot by shot and then just play.

“To be honest, I just want to do well in every tournament if I can. It can be a bit of a roller coaster, but last year, after the win in Taiwan (Taiwan Glass Taifong Open in November 2025), it made me more confident this week.”

Ham was delighted by his performance on the first day of the tournament, which is part of the Asian Tour’s International Series with elevated prize funds.

Teeing off in the afternoon, the 31-year-old quickly bounced back after starting the round with a bogey on the par-four 10th, as he responded with three birdies over the next eight holes.

The world No. 735 then birdied five of his remaining nine holes to claim a share of top spot.

He said: “The course is challenging, but if it’s difficult for me then it must be tough for other golfers too, so I told myself to just play as best as possible.

“I didn’t know I’d be able to play so well today – the long putts went in, bunker shots went in too. It was unbelievable; it feels like it’s my birthday.”

Ryan Ang leads the local contingent of 12, mixing two birdies and a bogey to shoot a one-under 70 and sit joint-29th with 24 others.

The 26-year-old, who competes on the China Tour, described the round as “a bit of a grind”, with heat posing a major challenge.

But he dealt with the conditions by consuming electrolyte drinks and gels, as well as draping a towel filled with ice over his head.

His encouraging start in Singapore follows promising showings in his last two events in China, where he placed tied-third and joint-16th at the China Sports Lottery Chongqing Open and Lanting Shaoxing Open respectively.

He credits his recent form to the putting work he has done with Gareth Jones, the Singapore Golf Association’s high-performance manager (professional squad).

While he was happy with his performance in the opening round, Ang is not too fixated on results.

The world No. 1,146 said: “I did not have expectations for this week – last year, I put too much pressure on myself to make the cut in front of the home crowd. This year, I just want to enjoy it.

“This is my job. I’m really grateful to be able to do it and for the opportunity to play here.”