Manila: Singapore's Mardan Mamat returns to the scene of his emotional victory ready to revive those winning memories again when the US$1 million Resorts World Manila Masters starts on Thursday.
Two years ago, the 49-year-old Singaporean was about to contemplate life away from golf until his win at the Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club reversed that decision.
“I was thinking of quitting professional golf if I had not won the Resorts World Manila Masters in 2014. I would probably have set up an academy and become a coach to the younger generation of players,” said Mardan.
The 2014 Resorts World Manila Masters champion ended a two-year barren run on the Asian Tour with a stylish wire-to-wire victory then.
It was also a win that sparked a return to form for the Singaporean veteran as he went on to clinch his fifth Asian Tour title in Bangladesh the following year.
"The Resorts World Manila Masters is a very special event to me. Winning this tournament brought back that much-needed confidence which is always key to this game. I won another tournament after that victory here and it has been good so far," said Mardan.
The Singaporean has already prepared his battle plans and knows the challenges that lie ahead.
“The course conditions are pretty much the same but the rough around the greens are higher this year and it’s not easy to get up and down if you miss the greens. A lot depends on the wind as well. If it blows, it’ll be tough,” said Mardan.
Thailand's Pavit Tangkamolprasert is also determined to extend his winning run in Manila after his breakthrough in Macao.
The Thai outclassed a star-studded field there and believes he can conjure a similar performance against an equally strong field that features three Order of Merit champions and 29 Tour champions this week.
"I gained a lot of confidence from Macao and I hope I can maintain that form coming into this week. I think the winning score would be around 15-under-par.
“The key is not to miss the fairways this week because if you do, it’ll be very tricky to hit it back from the rough," said Pavit.
Away from the course, Pavit and Mardan took time to meet the cast of the award-winning musical, Annie, which is also another top billing event at Resorts World Manila.
When the young prodigies broke out into their iconic song, 'Tomorrow', the duo were left mesmerised and upbeat about their title ambitions.
"I was very impressed by the kids’ singing and they are really very talented children. I like the song, Tomorrow as that will also be the day the action begins!," smiled Mardan.
“They sang beautifully and it was perfect, impressive. I’m hoping to do just about the same on the golf course tomorrow,” said Pavit.
