Meditation, sports psychology and even an odd gadget made from plumbing equipment are helping some of Asia’s top golfers as the increasingly competitive circuit heads to Cambodia this week. Ahead of the $300,000 Cambodian Classic, India’s Shiv Kapur has taken to meditating in the dark, walking round with his eyes shut and doing breathing exercises — to the extent that he has not practised for the past week.
Big Thai Prom Meesawat has returned to his coach from junior days and has started seeing a specialist psychologist as he aims for his first victory in six years.
Singapore’s Mardan Mamat credits intensive gym work with his return to form. And Australian Scott Barr has built his own putting aide from bits he found in a plumbing shop.
Some 30 winners and six of the Asian Tour’s 10 top earners this year will tee off at Siem Reap’s Angkor Golf Resort on Wednesday, in the fifth event of a busy season which will include nearly 30 stops.
Asia’s decade-plus golfing boom has lifted standards to unprecedented levels, at the same time raising pressure on the region’s professionals to perform.
Kapur, whose lone Asian Tour victory was in 2005, recently attended a five-day meditation course as he searches for an innovative route back to winning ways.
“The whole concept of doing that (meditation) was to get out of my own way and let things happen rather than forcing them to happen. I’ve not played golf in the past week or so but my mind is in a good place right now,” he said.
Prom will be one of the favourites this week after reaching a play-off at the SAIL-SBI Open and finishing tied sixth at the Avantha Masters, both in India. He also holds the lowest stroke average of 69.75 on Tour.
“Two good weeks in India have made my game a lot easier for the rest of the year. The work that I’ve put in with my sports psychologist has helped a lot. Mentally, I’ve got stronger,” said the 26-year-old.
“I also started working again with my old coach from my junior days. He has not changed anything but is just refining my game. I just need to keep improving to the next level.”
Mamat, 44, believes pre-season gym work has been key after he ended a six-year winless spell at the Philippine Open, reached the British Open through qualifying and also won on the lower-tier Asian Development Tour.
And Barr, who finished one shot shy of the SAIL-SBI Open play-off, has also taken matters into his own hands by inventing his very own putt-improver.
“I found something in the plumbing store and put this thing together. It’s just a rail which gets my stroke going back and forward pretty square,” he said.
“It seems to be all right and I’m trying to ease up on my grip pressure as well. It’s been good. I’m holing a few more although I’m not holing as much as half the guys here though!”