Singapore: Of the 29 nationalities represented at the Serapong golf course here, few are as complex as Pakistan. And we’re talking just sports here. Unlike hockey and squash that have had their time there, golf could never capture popular imagination and remains the privilege of the super elite. Their domestic tour boasts of around 200 professionals, but none barring one holds playing rights on any international tour.
That one, Ahmad Baig, shone bright under the unforgiving Sentosa sun on Saturday to jump 23 places on the leaderboard and take a creditable tied-fifth on the penultimate day of the $2million International Series event.
“I played very well today. The conditions were very tough. There was a lot of wind and it was very hot, but I maintained my calm,” said Baig after carding a bogey-free 4-under that included birdies on holes 4 and 5 and an eagle on par 5 seventh.
Being the only Pakistani on the tour presents its own challenges, loneliness being the foremost. Then come the logistics. “It’s tough to get flights out of Pakistan. There are not many carriers that operate, and the tickets are too expensive,” Baig said. And so, he has shifted base to Jakarta on a one-year permit to give himself a chance to compete in more events.
“As for the loneliness, it is real. I see so many Thai and Indian players travel together and I wish I had my friends with me as well,” the 27-year-old from Lahore said. He travels with his “best friend” Salman — “a decent amateur golfer” — who caddies for him. New friendships have been forged on the course as well.
“I am quite close to Gaganjeet Bhullar, Karandeep Kochhar, Yuvraj Sandhu, Pukhraj Singh Gill Ajeetesh Sandhu, and SSP Chawrasia. I have a lot of respect for Bhullar and Chawrasia who keep advising me,” he said. Among the most pertinent advice Chawrasia has given him is to try and play on the DP World Tour.
“I have a good long game and he (Chawrasia) reckons it is more suited to European courses. Inshallah, someday I’ll play there,” he said. For someone who polished his golfing skills through YouTube videos of Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods, Baig’s rise has been quite swift. He made his Asian Tour debut in 2025 thanks to a fourth-place finish on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit a year before, and has held his card since. This year, he made cuts in the Philippine Golf Championship (T36) and International Series Japan (T68) before presenting a solid case in Singapore.
Like most fairytales, Baig’s journey from Lahore to Asian Tour began on a fortuitous note. His elder brother, Usman, caddied at the Lahore Garrison Greens Golf Club, and conversations at home often revolved around golf. Then of course, there was YouTube.
“My brother would come home every evening and talk about golf, which is what fascinated me. There were a few clubs lying around at home since Usman was also a professional but he couldn’t make it big,” Baig, who turned pro in 2019, recalled. His interest to pursue golf was met with stiff resistance from Usman who wanted him to do well in academics.
“I’d often bunk school or take leaves of absence to play golf. I would get a sound thrashing both at home and school for missing my classes but I stuck with golf,” he laughed.
“Who knows about golf in Pakistan? Even my friends didn’t believe me when I told them I was into golf. It is an expensive sport back home and you can’t walk into a golf club.” That has changed for him. Baig is now a member of the Royal Palm Golf Club in Lahore, and has landed a sponsor that covers all his expenses.
“The Pakistan Tour is very modest when compared to India but it’s good enough for domestic golfers. We have around 60-70 courses out of which about 20 can host international events. I’d also like to come to India and play; in fact I am planning to come to the International Series in Bengaluru later this year,” he said.
Baig wanted to travel to Gurugram last year for the inaugural edition of IS India too, but the long visa process put a spanner in the works. “To get guys like Bryson, Rory, Tommy Fleetwood in India is superb. Indian fans are really lucky. I wish to play in a field like that someday,” he said.
