PAUL San is having the time of his life. For the last two years, he has been living his dream as a professional golfer. The newly-minted pro has been busy competing in numerous notable tournaments since early 2019.
He finished fourth in the recent PGM (Professional Golf of Malaysia) MNRB Championship 2020.
“It was a good learning experience for me. I enjoyed just being in contention to win.”
San, 25, first developed an interest in the sport after watching Tiger Woods on television.
“I was intrigued at why the camera always followed him. It got my interest and I wanted to be like him. So, my dad enrolled me in a junior academy near our home,” said the Petaling Jaya resident.
This was followed by his participation in a national amateur golf team where he scored great success.
Highlights of his time as an amateur golf player include three Malaysian victories – 2012 in Sabah, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur and 2016 in Sarawak, as well as representing the nation twice at the Lion City Cup in Hong Kong and Indonesia.
What kept you motivated all these years?
Passion. Nobody wakes up at five in the morning and trains involuntarily. I do not do what I do because I hate it. I do not do what I do because somebody tells me to. I do it because I love to do it and it is something that I want to be good at. I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. It feels as if I was born to play golf.
Can you handle failure?
As a professional, I think most of my shortcomings have come from being nervous and inexperience. Success comes with playing more and more tournaments. Hence, I am a big believer in trusting the work and practice that I have put in.
I try my best to focus on things that I can control. Once I have done all that I can, and after all these years of practice, I have learned to let go and let nature take its course. To let things flow freely.
Has the pandemic disrupted any of your plans?
Absolutely! I turned pro in 2019 and I should have at least two years of experience under my belt, if not for Covid. The one-and-a-half years could have been useful in making me more seasoned. By now, I should have achieved better results.
However, given the few events that I played in 2019, I feel like I have done okay. But I am still confident in my ability to achieve a lot more. I am currently training every day while waiting for tournaments to start.
How do you spend your time when you are not competing or training?
During my off days, I enjoy fishing and spending time with my partner. Whatever we do, we kind of do it together because I do not get to see her enough. But she understands as she knows I have to keep working hard. And she also has her own things that she would like to achieve in her career.
So, we have this understanding. Sundays are usually my days off and we will spend the whole day together. Be it fishing or just hanging out.
Anything but the things that I have been doing the last six days. Basically, I try to forget about golf for one day.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
My goal for the future is simple. I am aiming to be the best version of myself. To be the best golfer and individual that I can be. I am working towards that goal every day, one step at a time. Hopefully, I will be able to achieve that. It all starts with what I do each day.
I hope to be playing on the Asian tour on a consistent basis and be more experienced. Hence, I have to work as hard as I can, and hope for the best!
