The Fung Conquest

Nicholas Fung Sheds Mister Runner-up Tag Enroute to Europe and Beyond

- Roger Rodrigo

He could have chosen the well-lit path laid out in collegiate golf in the United States. But somehow fate took Nicholas Fung on a different course.

“After high school I was thinking about studying in the USA but at the same time I went to the Asian Tour Q-School in Hua Hin. I managed to make it into the final stage and decided to turn pro instead,” recalled Fung of his decision to turn pro in 2010. “I was nervous wondering about (financial situation) but thankfully some of my uncles decided to sponsor my expenses in the early part.”

But the golfing gods were clearly on his side as it did not take long for the young Sabahan to make his mark in professional golf.

He won the battle of the young titans in the final match of the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam in 2010. The 20-year-old beat 17-year-old Panuphol Pittayarat of Thailand, 4 & 3, at Song Be Golf Resort.

The win came just seven months after he turned pro on the heels of a stunning rookie season where he made seven successive cuts on the Mercedes-Benz Tour.

It was his second triumph in Vietnam, having won the Vietnam Amateur at age 17 in 2007.

The US$14,000 winner’s purse came in handy as he secured third place on the tour’s Order of Merit and qualified as one of the six sponsor’s invites into the year’s Singapore Open.

“Sometimes it will take a player two to three years before they can win their first pro tournament. I was very happy. I did not feel any nerves as I was a nobody then. I just went out and did my best,” he said.

Fung admitted the going was not easy in those years. “I practised every day. The more shots I hit the more confident I became.”

He did not hesitate about playing anywhere whether it was in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines or at home, each tournament becoming another step up the learning curve.