Shannon Tan named The Straits Times’ Athlete of the Year 2025

SINGAPORE – Before the Andalucia Costa del Sol Open last November – the final tournament of the 2025 Ladies European Tour (LET) season – Shannon Tan found herself feeling uncharacteristically nervous.

There was a lot more at stake for the Singaporean that week, as she was locked in a fierce battle with Mimi Rhodes for the circuit’s Order of Merit title.

The season finale in Spain served as the decider and Tan, usually calm and composed, felt the weight of the moment.

A timely intervention from her caddie Simon Corey helped settle her nerves. Recalling that moment, she said: “He was just saying pressure is a privilege, and a lot of people would want to be in my situation, battling it out for the Order of Merit, so I should just view it positively and just know it’s definitely a privilege to be in that situation.

“There’s always going to be pressure because that means you care about it, so I’ve just started viewing it more positively now.”

And the 21-year-old went on to edge out the Briton for the crown, becoming the first Singaporean to clinch the accolade. That experience marked how Tan has learnt to thrive under a growing spotlight.

In a season stretching from February to November, Tan displayed consistency, winning the German Masters and Indian Open on the LET and placing in the top 10 on another six occasions in her 23 events.

She also progressed to the weekend at the Evian Championship and British Open, the two Majors in which she competed.

For her accomplishments, Tan was named The Straits Times Athlete of the Year 2025 on April 4.

As Tan is in Las Vegas for the Aramco Championship, the trophy was presented to her parents Desmond Tan and Winnie Cheong by F&N Foods senior marketing manager Angela Koh at a ceremony held at the SPH Media auditorium.

This is the first time that a golfer has won the annual award, which started in 2009 and is backed by 100Plus.

When the world No. 93 first heard she had won, she questioned whether it was true, knowing the calibre of the other athletes competing for the award.

The other nominees were sprinter Shanti Pereira, para-swimmer Yip Pin Xiu, bowler New Hui Fen, swimmer Letitia Sim and pool player Aloysius Yapp.

Tan said: “A lot of Singaporean athletes have done well the past year and they’ve achieved a lot. I didn’t expect it to be me so I was definitely shocked when I first heard that I’d won the award.”

ST sports editor Low Lin Fhoong headed a seven-member judging panel for the award, which included Football Association of Singapore general secretary Badri Ghent, national shooter Martina Amos and Singapore national cycling head coach Adrian Ng.

Low noted that through the years, Singapore has celebrated golfers such as five-time Asian Tour winner Mardan Mamat, who has helped pave the way for the sport locally.

Tan now stands among the group, carving out her own place with strong results on the LET.

“What she has achieved so quickly since turning pro has surprised us, and may she continue to surprise us in the seasons ahead,” said Low.

“Shannon speaks about wanting to inspire more young people to play the sport and I hope that with her achievements and this award, she will be able to do so.”

F&N Foods’ Koh said: “We applaud all the nominees this year for their dedication to bring glory to Singapore and to their sport. They have inspired us all and filled our hearts with pride and joy.

“We congratulate Shannon Tan, winner of The Straits Times Athlete of the Year award and celebrate her stellar achievements and phenomenal 2025 season.”

Making an impact on those back home has been a driving force for Tan, who was heartened to see how passionate Singapore’s junior golfers were when she competed in the last two editions of the HSBC Women’s World Championship on home soil.

She said: “Being a role model is a big role and there are people looking up to you.

“Once Joseph Schooling won the gold medal at the Olympics, you could see more people taking up swimming, so I hope to do the same thing and hope to do well so that more people and juniors and kids would want to take up golf and learn more about the game.”

Having enjoyed a stellar start to her professional career since joining the paid ranks just two years ago, Tan’s next big goal is securing her LPGA Tour card.

She fell short in her attempts at the final stage of qualifying in 2024 and 2025, finishing outside the top 25 and ties who earn LPGA status.

But she is encouraged by the improvement she made in 2025, when she shot an even-par 286 total over four rounds, a 10-stroke improvement from the year before.

She said: “It’s always going to be a process and you have to build on it and it’s just baby steps – everything’s an ongoing process. And with golf, there’s always something to be worked on and you just keep working on different parts of your game and it slowly adds up.”