April 3: Singapore Golf Association (SGA) professional James Leow along with promising amateurs Ryan Ang, Hiroshi Tai and Aloysa Atienza received a career boost after being named as recipients of the Sport Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship) and SpexPotential programmes.
Launched in 2013, spexScholarship offers support to Singapore athletes deemed to have the potential to excel on the Asian and world stage.
“It’s a great feeling and I’m thankful to be able to receive the Spexscholarship again.
“I look forward to another year of opportunity and support to keep pushing my limits and pursuing my dreams,” said Leow, who is receiving the SpexScholarship for the third time.
Leow’s amateur career highlights include winning the individual gold medal at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
He won the Thunderbird Collegiate and the Pacific Coast Amateur titles in the United States in 2022. Leow also represented the Team International side that beat the United States at the prestigious Palmer Cup.
After enjoying amateur success, Leow turned professional and joined the paid ranks in 2022.
Apart from Leow, Ang, together with Tai and Atienza are now part of the spexPotential program.
The spexPotential programme is designed to develop athletes’ sporting potential while also assisting them in their education, career, and personal development.
“Being a part of the spexPotential Programme is a huge honour for me! It just helps validate all the work I’ve been putting in and will greatly help me in elevating my game to the next level as I look ahead to the future. I couldn’t have done this without my support system (Family, teammates, coaches) and am determined to continue to pave the way for Singapore Golf in the years to come,” said Ang.
Both spexScholarship and spexPotential programmes provide financial and programmatic support for athletes within the high performance sports pathway.
These include a monthly stipend, support for local and overseas training and competitions, sport science and medicine, education, career and personal development.
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