Interview: HSBC Women’s Champions National Qualifying Tournament winner, Amanda Tan

In a handful of weeks, Singapore will see the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament returning to Sentosa Golf Club (SGC) for its 10th edition. But before the excitement of the world’s best battling it out for one of the most prestigious titles on the LPGA Tour takes place, the recent 2-day HSBC Women’s Champions National Qualifying Tournament saw 14 ambitious local players vying for a spot in the professional event.

Following a harrowing three-way play-off against fellow golfers Sarah Tan and Callista Chen, Amanda Tan came out on top, securing her spot in this year’s HSBC Women’s Champions. This is the second time she’s won the qualifier, the first being in 2014, and this means she will be joining an elite field of 63 players in March, rubbing shoulders with 19 of the top 20 ranked players, including world number one Lydia Ko.

We spoke to the lovely Amanda right after her victory, and she gave us an insight into her health and fitness routine, and what she does to keep herself at the top of her game.

Marie France Asia: First of all, congratulations on winning the qualifying round! How do you feel?

Amanda Tan: To be honest, it was really nerve-racking for me on the first play-off, and having that bunker shot… you know, I’ve practised it a few times, but still, I was very nervous over that bunker shot. But overall, I’m happy with the week and I’m happy that I got through with this win, after three years. My first win was 2014, so yeah, I’m really looking forward to the HSBC Women’s Champions this year.

MFA: How long have you been playing golf?

A.T.: I’m turning 18 in a few weeks, and I started playing when I was 7… so, I’ve been playing for 11 years now. Back in primary school, I picked up a few sports – badminton, swimming, stuff like that, but my uncle loved playing golf, so one day he asked my dad: “why don’t you bring your whole family to the range and see if you guys like it?”, and that’s when it all started.

MFA: Were you confident of your skills, being pitted against all these other local players? Did you feel any pressure?

A.T.: Yes, I felt pressure for sure. I mean, I hadn’t been playing with [the others] a lot, so I didn’t really know what they’d been up to. But I think they all played pretty good the last two days. I did definitely think that everyone was on fairly equal footing and they were just as hard to beat, especially since we played the game on the new course, so we didn’t know what to expect this year. But I’m glad that I did what I had to do, which was to just go out there and win this thing.

MFA: Do you have a health and fitness regime that you stick to?

A.T.: I try to hit the gym 3 to 4 times a week and I’ve been focusing a lot on cardio. Obviously, I would also need to focus on strength – try to get my body in the right shape to be good for my swing, which is the main thing that I have to work on. Other than going to the gym, at night – because I am a Buddhist – we meditate before we go to sleep, for about 20 minutes, and doing that seems to calm my mind down. I think it helps me focus better when I play.

MFA: How about your diet? Do you follow a strict plan?

A.T.: [Laughs] No, no! Well, I have been trying to cut down on my sugar intake, but I guess Chinese New Year didn’t help. Besides that, anything that’s not especially oily or especially sweet is fine with me. I like trying everything!

MFA: How do you handle being in the sun so much while playing?

A.T.: I do put a lot of sunblock on. The one I currently use is actually from Australia – I stayed in Australia for 18 months, and that’s when I really took sun protection seriously. This sunblock I use is only SPF 30, but one thing good about it is that even when you sweat, it’s not greasy, it stays dry and remains on your skin instead of feeling like an oil slick, which is great for when you’re playing intense sports like tennis.

MFA: What are you looking forward to most this year beyond the Women’s Champions tournament itself?

A.T.: I’m looking at turning professional this year – hoping to turn pro for this HSBC tournament as well. But, you know, looking at my first year as a professional, my next event would probably be the China Q-School, and hopefully subsequently my ultimate goal is to play on the LPGA Tour.

MFA: As a female golfer, what advice would you give to other female athletes?

A.T.: I think you’ve got to practise hard, but importantly, you’ve got to practise smart. That’s the most crucial thing. You don’t want to be practising a full day, but you’ve got no idea what you’re doing. Your time would just go to waste!

Angela Goh

Event details:

Date: Thursday, 2 March – Sunday, 5 March 2017

Venue: The New Tanjong Course, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

Tickets: Available from APACTix, from SGD20

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* A VIP Pass entitles the passholder admission to all 4 days of the golf competition, including entry into the Champions Club hospitality tent. (Does not include entry to the Music Festival).

This post was brought to you by HSBC.