Rekindling Memories Of The Old Master

M. Ramayah Remains a Shining Example of What Dedication Can Achieve

- Roger Rodrigo

AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS CAREER he was crossing swords with world class players like major champions Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer, Retief Goosen and the like. Now, after years spent as Malaysia’s first globe-trotting golf professional, Marimuthu Ramayah, has settled into a coaching role at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

There, you can see the 62-year-old casting an eagle eye on a youngster’s swing spotting the defects and advising the repair work. Unlike some, he doesn’t overly rely on technology like video recordings, launch monitors or other state of the art gizmos.

“I use my eyes. Believe me I can tell what’s going on with your swing by just looking at your swing just once,” snorted Malaysia’s first true touring pro and number one player for many years.

Ramayah was Malaysia’s No.1 from 1976 to 1997, a period of 21 years. He played in 13 World Cups and three World Cup qualifiers - an individual record that looks set to remain for a long time.

In between he has been a regional force winning three Malaysian PGA championships, one Thai PGA, one Philippines PGA, one Singapore PGA and one Thai Senior Open event. This is in addition to countless local tournament victories.

He has played in the Dunhill Cup in St. Andrews, Scotland and was part of the 1998 Johnnie Walker Super Tour with Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Jesper Parnevik and Laura Davies.

In a career that has been prolific as it has been high profile, Ramayah has gone through many trials and tribulations like most golfing nomads travelling across Asia and Australia plying his trade. In some ways he was the quintessential journeyman, taking the bitter with the sweet, missed cut to trophy moments with grace and patience.