Mamat times his swing to the pro ranks

MARDAN Mamat stood rooted to the spot in the right hand greenside bunker of the par-three 17th hole on the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club's New Course, anguish etched all over his face. It was November, 1993 - the final round of the 33rd Southeast Asian amateur team championship for the Putra Cup. Thanks largely to the efforts of Mamat, Singapore were on the verge of their first victory in the competition for 26 years. For almost 20 seconds after his exquisite explosion shot, Mamat's ball hung precariously on the very edge of the cup. Just as it appeared he would have to settle for a par, his ball dropped into the hole for what proved to be a crucial birdie-two. In an instant the destiny of the 1993 Putra Cup was decided and the expression on Mamat's face changed accordingly. The grimace disappeared, to be replaced by a grin, tinged with relief and delight. For the strapping Mamat and his fellow young Singapore lions - Dino Kwek, Lam Chih Bing and Mohammed Said - that last day had been an emotional roller-coaster as they grimly tried to protect their overnight lead. Twenty minutes after the bunker drama, Mamat stepped off the final green. Physically, mentally and emotionally he was spent. His legs buckled as he was embraced by Singapore's non-playing captain Douglas Ooi. Later, reflecting on Singapore's victory and his own success in the individual section, he said: 'I've never experienced anything like that. It's a wonderful feeling.' Ten months on and Mamat has had many other golden moments to cherish. Indeed, so rich has been the vein of form that he has struck since that rain-lashed week at Fanling, that Mamat must currently rank as Asia's unofficial number one amateur player. At the age of 26 he is to be much admired. After collecting his Putra prize, Mamat might easily have opted to follow the route taken by Kwek, a former Hong Kong Open amateur champion, and join the ranks of the professionals. Had he have done so he would today be a considerably richer man than he is - at least in financial terms. Last week, for the second year in succession, he upstaged his professional rivals to 'win' the Singapore PGA Championship. His four-round total of 276, 12 under par, at the Jurong Country Club included a scintillating course record 64 on the third day. He finished five strokes clear of Filipino Felix Cassius Casas and six in front of Samson Gimson, Singapore's leading pro. Mamat simply blew them all away. As an amateur, though, he missed out on the S$8,000 (about HK$41,200) first prize and the S$2,000 on offer for breaking the course record. While Casas claimed the riches and counted his lucky stars, all Mamat had to show for his efforts was a trophy. Mamat could have been forgiven for bemoaning his scant reward. But the modest Singaporean would have none of it. 'I just wanted to go out, play well, get a good score and have a good finish,' he said. 'I'm not here to play against the professionals. I'm here to play against the golf course.' Spoken like a true amateur and a true gentleman. Although his decision to remain amateur may not, in the short term, have done anything to boost his bank balance, his long-term prospects look rosy, indeed. Following his PGA victory, Mamat confirmed that he will be relinquishing his amateur status either later this year or early in 1995. And with an extended Asian Tour as well as the new Asian PGA Tour to look forward to, the road ahead must seem like it is paved with gold for Mamat. Before that, though, Mamat has one other driving ambition as an amateur - to strike gold at next month's Hiroshima Asian Games. One of the main reasons that Mamat has resisted the temptation to turn professional until now has been the lure of the Asiad and the possibility of winning glory not only for himself, but also for his country. Another factor in the equation has been the fact that the Singapore National Olympic Council will, according to reports in Singapore newspapers, handsomely reward those athletes who succeed in bringing back a medal. How handsomely? Well, any Singaporean who strikes gold in Hiroshima will reputedly pocket the tidy little sum of S$250,000 (about HK$1.29 million) - considerably more than the first place prize money in the majority of professional golf events. Who said it doesn't pay to stay an amateur?