SINGAPORE – It was Valentine’s Day and Nicklaus Chiam’s heart was pounding.
And it hammered on for two hours, not from a heady romance but a dramatic three-hole play-off at the PKNS Selangor Masters, where the Singaporean golfer eventually sunk the winning putt to win a long-awaited maiden professional title.
“I’m feeling really good about my game, it’s still really overwhelming,” said the 30-year-old.
“My heart is still pounding from the play-off, but I’m really, really happy. It’s a big push forward in terms of my game and the game in Singapore, really taking a big step towards future goals and all.”
He had not expected to find himself in a play-off after posting a one-under 70 in the final round of the US$175,000 (S$221,100) Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament to sign for a 10-under 274 total.
As he walked off the course at the Seri Selangor Golf Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Chiam expected to finish third, and the title would be decided between Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung and Thailand’s Poom Pattaropong, who were both in the flight after him.
Cheung was then leading at 13-under heading into hole No. 18, while Poom was a shot back.
But shortly after signing his score card, compatriot Gregory Foo – who finished joint-12th – and Thai golfer Kosuke Hamamoto told Chiam he would probably be in a play-off, which he initially thought was a joke.
But Cheung triple bogeyed the par-four 18th and Poom dropped two shots, and the duo slipped to fourth to trigger a three-man play-off between Chiam, Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan (67) and Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong (68).
The world No. 1,121 golfer said: “I was feeling nervous for sure, I didn’t expect it.
“I just have to concentrate and do what I have been doing for the whole day or week, just take it one shot at a time.
“If everything goes well, it goes well, if not I know I’ve done my best.”
Runchanapong bowed out of the contest after a bogey on the first extra hole, leaving Chiam and Khavish to battle it out.
They both held steady with pars on the next hole, but on the third, the Singaporean rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt to claim the win.
What happened next was a blur. Of the little he remembers, he recalled thinking that “I finally got this”.
For Chiam, who joined the paid ranks in November 2021, getting his first professional win signified progress.
“It makes me realise that I’m heading in the right direction, whatever I’m doing, I’m doing correctly,” said Chiam, who pocketed US$30,625 for his victory.
“I just have to keep pushing forward, not get lazy and make sure that I’m zoning in a lot more throughout the year and my golfing career.”
With that heart-pounding finale, the win was also a perfect Valentine’s Day present for Chiam and his girlfriend Olivia, who has been on his bag since 2025.
He told the ADT website: “I don’t have a professional caddie. She only started caddying for me last year, so she’s learning a lot, but she’s actually helping me a lot throughout the game.”
Meanwhile, Singapore professional Shannon Tan teed off her season with a tied-12th finish at the PIF Saudi Ladies International, after shooting a one-under 71 in the final round on Feb 14 to card a 14-under 274 total.
The 21-year-old was five strokes behind Charley Hull (65), who won the US$5 million event at Riyadh Golf Club.
Japan’s Akie Iwai (67) and South Africa’s Casandra Alexander (68) trailed the Briton by a shot in joint second.
World No. 99 Tan, the 2025 Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner, said: “I think it was a solid week overall. I had a good second and third round which I was really happy with.
“There were some really good patches where I felt in control of my game, especially with my approach shots. I had a couple of loose shots out there today that were a little costly, so that’s something I’ll work on.”
After a standout 2025 that saw her win twice on the circuit, Tan hopes to build on that in the new season.
She said: “The main goal is to keep building on the consistency I developed last season and keep putting myself in contention. I want to keep improving every part of my game.
“I’m also really looking forward to defending my titles in Germany and India. It’ll be my first time qualifying for a few of the Majors as well, so I’d like to improve my performances at these events, learn as much as I can, and keep gaining experience at that level.”
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