AGENT OF CHANGE

From junior golfer to top amateur and then on to the Tours, former national golfer and touring professional Choo Tze Huang has done it all. He now embraces a career switch that is taking him down the road of entrepreneurship.

- JUSTINE MOSS

As one of Singapore's top amateur and professional golfers, Choo Tze Huang has expertly handled the physical and mental demands and rewards of tour life.

The last 12 months or so, however, have brought challenges of a different kind. The 37-yearold has had to deal with the passing of his father and mentor Choo Kok Chung, taking over a golf apparel business, and setting up of a new company, PALLADIUM, at the end of 2023.

"Golf has always been my life", he says. "Taking over dad's business was a bit of a no-brainer. I spoke to him about it and asked him to teach me a little bit about what he was doing. But he never wanted me to work with him because he said that if I wanted to play golf, I had to be 100 per cent focused on it."

Choo credits his father with introducing him to the game at the age of six. The interest grew from there and he played in his first junior event a few years later in Malaysia. "I think it just kind of picked up from there, just knowing that it's kind of fun, you know, winning and playing and being competitive. I've always been quite competitive when it comes to golf.

"I told my dad, I think I want to play golf professionally. So, he kind of taught me, set a plan and a schedule with my school back then, and as long as I stuck to it and I didn't fail behind in school he would support me."

After completing national service in 2005, Choo headed to the US in 2007 on a golf scholarship to complete his tertiary studies at the University of Washington. He admits he struggled during his first year, not enjoying the experience and in his words "playing bad golf".

But his sister Kit Ching, father and friend Patrick Feizal Joyce were his counsel and he slowly started enjoying his time there. His father, for one, reminded him that "not many people had the opportunity to play golf and study for free overseas", which struck a chord with Choo.