Coming off a run of hosting two world-class tournaments, Sentosa Golf Club is once again preparing to take centre stage, with the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times set for 23–26 April.
The return of the storied National Open, part of The International Series co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and LIV Golf, will rekindle memories of winners such as Adam Scott and Ian Poulter holding aloft the trophy in the tournament’s previous stint at the stunning Serapong course.
As the venue’s General Manager, Director of Agronomy and Resident Golf Course Designer, Andy Johnston would have overseen three elite championships in the span of just eight weeks. For Johnston, the demanding run reflects both privilege and pressure. “We’re incredibly fortunate to showcase our course at this level,” he said. “But with that comes the responsibility to get every detail right, every single time.”
Lee Westwood has praised the Serapong’s greens as among the world’s finest, while Bryson DeChambeau described them as some of the fastest he has encountered when he played at the recent LIV Golf Singapore.
An International Series event creates a unique scenario at Sentosa, with top LIV Golf League players such as Peter Uihlein, Lucas Herbert and Josele Ballester returning to the same course just weeks after competing there during the Aramco LIV Golf Singapore event in February. This time, there is even more at stake, with places in The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale on the line as the tournament forms part of this year’s Open Qualifying Series.
That familiarity was not lost to Johnston. “Having players return so soon after competing here gives us immediate feedback on our consistency. When these LIV Golf League players step back onto these greens for The Singapore Open, they’ll have fresh memories of the surfaces they played just weeks earlier. That’s both exciting and nerve-wracking because there’s no hiding from the fact of whether we’ve maintained the same standards. The International Series brings together players who know our course and newcomers experiencing Sentosa for the first time.”
For Johnston, hosting an International Series event and welcoming back the Singapore Open presented by The Business Times after a four-year absence represents another significant step in Sentosa' Golf Club’s evolution as the championship venue in Asia.
“Each tournament brings its own challenges, and I’m constantly refining our processes. My team deserves all the credit; they’re the ones executing these standards every single day.”
