The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Self-knowledge helps Nicol David towards greatness
- Despite huge growth, Asian golf has problems
- World champ takes time off from hectic schedule to play in Milo meet
| Self-knowledge helps Nicol David towards greatness Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:56 PM PST GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands: Nicol David has discovered that greater self-knowledge is helping her deal with the pressures as she tries to extend her all-time record of world titles to seven. The already legendary Malaysian has made a flying start to her campaign here, but has had to take profound and very personal measures to help endure the stresses which only increase with time. David carries the relentlessly heavy burden of flag-bearer for an emerging nation, is subjected to constant media demands and appearance requests, and now, in her 30th year, finds herself expected to fend off a growing bevy of younger rivals. Hence the role of Frank Cabooter, a sports psychologist who works at the University of Amsterdam, specialising in burn-out and depression, has increased in importance for David. "In the last two to three years he has given me a lot of insight into who I am and how I can look at understanding myself better - not just on a squash basis, but on a personal note," she confides. "It means you have to admit to things you may not have seen or known. But at the same time if you can improve yourself if you can adjust. It's so fascinating (learning about) our mind and how it works. "We go into what works for me, what goes through my mind, and how I manage it," adds David, who here has been feeding off the vibes of the music, the warm climate, and the friendly seaside atmosphere. So far she has dealt impressively with Omneya Abdel Kawy, the 2010 World Open finalist from Egypt, and Annie Au, the world number nine from Hong Kong, both in straight games and in about half an hour each. But after more than six years unbroken as world number one, David knows her strengths and weaknesses are evolving. "As time goes on we all change, as we get older," she says. "I'm trying to use that to my advantage. There are a lot of things to learn from. And a lot of things to understand about myself as a squash player and my own growth. "All this changed me and kept me in tune (with my feelings)." David has occasionally revealed signs of human frailty, but when it has happened she has tried to learn why it emerged, and worked to develop her capacity to deal with it. A notable example was when she lost her British Open title three years ago with a hesitant quarter-final defeat to Ireland's Madeline Perry. That is why another quarter-final match with Perry here Wednesday may offer an insight into the champion's mental growth and personal development. David had a rest day Tuesday in which to prepare. But her focus is unlikely to be on the quality of her opponent's skills, but the entwining of her own tactical concerns with her state of mind. "It's always a good match with Madeline, but I know how important it is to focus more on my game and what I have to do," the record-breaking champion said. "I have to bring my game up - and make sure I bring it with me to the court." - AFP |
| Despite huge growth, Asian golf has problems Posted: 18 Dec 2012 06:32 PM PST SINGAPORE: Rapid growth has made Asia the big new destination for world golf but there's an unmistakable sense of gloom as long-standing events face an uncertain future and local talent stalls. While rich tournaments and even richer stars continue to flood east, grabbing widespread attention and making large sums for the game's elite, for the home-grown scene it's a different story entirely. A bitter turf war between two rival circuits, which has spooked sponsors and divided players, shows little sign of easing, and Asian golfers are making slow progress on the world stage with just nine listed in the top 100. China, the great new market with an ever-increasing number of courses and recreational players, is developing at a glacial rate in competitive terms with only three men ranked among the world's best 800. Asia's inter-circuit rivalry even ended up before the courts with four struggling players, who were fined and suspended by the Asian Tour for taking part in OneAsia events, winning a restraint of trade case in Singapore. Meanwhile traditional cornerstone events are facing trouble. Prize money at the venerable Hong Kong Open was slashed to just $2 million, and organisers went cap-in-hand for government funds to pay appearance fees for top players. The Singapore Open, touted as "Asia's Major" and its oldest national open dating back to 1961, lost title sponsor Barclays and is missing from next year's European schedule, with its future date and backers unclear. While those events hit hard times, the European and American tours remain in a powerful position with a series of big, multi-million dollar tournaments that remain the season's highlights. The CIMB Classic in Malaysia, headlined this year by Tiger Woods, will become a full-status PGA Tour event next season - and with just 10 Asian Tour players in the field, according to current plans. The WGC-HSBC Champions, which featured just nine winners of Asian Tour events and four Chinese players at its last edition in November, has signed on for a five-year stint in Shanghai with Major-level prize money of $8.5 million. The European Tour also bypassed both the Asian Tour and OneAsia by co-sanctioning the $7.1 million BMW Masters, a much-criticised exhibition tournament when it emerged last year, with China's domestic circuit. But the year's most talked-about event, China's "Duel at Jinsha Lake", was unsanctioned, featured only Woods and Rory McIlroy and was over in just one day of spectator mayhem and gratuitous displays of wealth by the organisers. Perhaps not surprisingly, local players barely figured at the top tournaments and out of five European and PGA-backed events since late October, only three Asians, in total, finished in the top 10, and none in the top five. And among Asia's top performers this year, several, including Asian Tour merit winner Thaworn Wiratchant, and Thongchai Jaidee and Jeev Milkha Singh, who won the Wales and Scottish opens respectively, are in their forties. However those victories also show it's not all bleak for Asian golf, and there are other signs to cheer the optimist. In June, Beijing-born Florida resident Andy Zhang played the US Open at just 14, and China's Guang Tianlang, who is the same age and also trains frequently in the United States, is set to break the US Masters age record next year. Asians continue to dominate the women's game with four of the top five players, including world number one Yani Tseng and Park In-Bee, the highest earner on this year's US LPGA tour. And just this month, Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki's Asia team won the Royal Trophy in a play-off against a European side led by Jose Maria Olazabal, who masterminded September's famous Ryder Cup victory. The men in charge of Asia's rival tours both insist that the future is bright and that the trajectory, despite admitted problems, remains upward. Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said his organisation provides the "right balance" of tournaments to nurture players, adding in an email: "We are confident the future of professional golf in the region is secure." OneAsia chairman and commissioner Sang Y. Chun called Asia's development "alarmingly strong", and even held out the possibility of working with the Asian Tour to bring the region on to a more equal footing with Europe and the PGA. However for some observers, the current situation is very different from the high hopes of nearly 20 years ago, when the Asian Tour first came into being. "Some people on all sides are claiming they're working for the betterment of golf and in fact they're doing no such thing," Spencer Robinson, managing editor of Asian Golf Monthly, told AFP last month. "You just want to shake these guys, pick them up by the ears and bash their heads together and say, 'For Christ's sake, there's a big enough pie. Let's all sit down and work together'." - AFP |
| World champ takes time off from hectic schedule to play in Milo meet Posted: 18 Dec 2012 04:40 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore's Shayna Ng was planning to sit back and just chill out after winning the AMF World Cup last month. But a phone call from Malaysian national coach Holloway Cheah changed all that. "I actually didn't plan on coming (to the the 13th Milo International Junior All-Stars 2012) at first because I have school to attend and my schedule is quite tight. But Holloway invited me to come over and I said okay. I'm very honoured that he invited me," said Shayna. The 24-year-old Shayna is pursuing a degree in Sport Science at the Edith Cowan University at the SMF Institute of Higher Learning in Singapore, said that "life after winning the World Cup (in Wroclaw, Poland) is pretty much the same". "Winning the World Cup has not really changed anything. Things are more or less the same. You can say it's given me added confidence ... but it has also brought on added pressure," she said. "But when I bowl, I leave all distractions aside. I just chuck them aside and focus on things that will help me do better during the game." At the World Cup, the hook bowler overcame a partisan crowd to beat defending champion Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic in the final. Now, she's hoping to bring out her A-game and clinch her second title in one month. "I was checking out the scores and you can see that competition here is quite tough. We're not just competing against the girls but the guys as well (in the Masters)," said Shayna. "The Malaysians boys and girls are quite strong ... I can probably name a handful who can really challenge for the title but I won't. It's really competitive, so I'll have to be on my very best if I want to win." Shayna bowled an impressive 781 to be placed second in the Masters qualifiers – just behind compatriot Suresh Elangovan (796) but ahead of Malaysia's Sin Li Jane (732). Qualifiers (Top 5 only, Malaysians unless stated) Masters 1. Suresh Elangovan (Sin) 796, 2. Shayna Ng (Sin) 781, 3. Sin Li Jane 732, 4. Muhamad Faiarel Haizem (Ina) 728, 5. Biansa Tafi Lau (Ina) 727. Boys' Open Local Pool: Cheah Yung Ren 772, 2. Muhd Aizudeen Mustaqim 761, 3. Yusof Raof 760, 4. Mohd Ash Ammar 752, 5. Syafiq Sajeli 750. Overseas Pool: 1. Nicholas Lee (Sin) 776, 2. Jayden Leming (Aus) 765, 3. Joel Tan Eng An (Sin) 763, 4. Suresh Elangovan (Sin) 734, 5. Nicholas Goh (Sin) 730. Mixed Pool: 1. Timmy Tan 720, 2. Chong Jun Fun 719, 3. Ahmad Muaz & Muhd Rafiq Ismail 718, 5. Syaffique Ikhwan 716. Girls' Open Local Pool: 1. Sheena Dina Rizal 753, 2. Natasha Roslan 748, 3. Cheryl Chong 739, 4. Sin Li Jane 716, 5. Steffira Zeandea Greater 715. Overseas Pool: 1. Nadia Pramanik (Ina) 708, 2. Kimberley Ooi (Sin) 682, 3. Tracey See (Sin) 672, 4. Chen Szu Min (Tpe) 667, 5. Desiree Sim Pei Ling (Sin) 662. Mixed Pool: 1. Jackeltn Ng Shuk Choen 665, 2. Fatin Azmira 664, 3. Qistina Zainal Fitri 662, 4. Victoria Chin 653, 5. Faten Najihah 638. Boys Graded: 1. Edmund Leung (Hkg) 740, 2. Adri Shahri (Ina) 737, 3. Muhd Faizal Rahmat 732, 4. J. J. Wong 729, 5. Imam Wiguna (Ina) 728. Girls' Graded: 1. Nerosha Keligit 723, 2. Nur Dyana Zhudi 706, 3. Isabelle Lee Xin Yu 685, 4. Farah Izzazaya 682, 5. Dayang Aida Natasha 663. |
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