Mercedes Benz Asean Tour

A man of many firsts, Mardan Mamat is a local hero in Singapore for his golfing endeavours. He was the first Singaporean to win an Asian Tour event – the Indian Open in 2004 – and two years later caused great excitement in the Lion City when he roared to victory in the European Tour-sanctioned Singapore Masters.

There was hardly a dry eye amongst the gallery as Mamat led them in a stirring rendition of the Singapore national anthem 'Majulah Singapura' at the prize giving.

Mamat gave the home fans more to cheer about earlier this year when he won his first event on the Mercedes-Benz Tour, the Mercedes-Benz Masters Singapore at Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

After a fine amateur career, which included individual and team gold medals at the 1993 Putra Cup, Mamat grabbed the headlines as a professional in 1997 when he qualified for the British Open and became the first player from Singapore to compete in the storied Major.

His career stalled for a few years but renowned coach Kel Llewellyn helped spark a revival in his fortunes and Mamat secured a long-awaited victory in 2004 at the Indian Open.

He is a firm believer in the benefits of yoga and is amongst a growing band of Asian professionals who practice the discipline to focus before a round.