Success and enjoyment — the Albatross Golf Resort in Prague has been a source of both for Gavin Green, Malaysia’s highest-ranked professional golfer, in ample measure.
The 29-year-old is currently 202nd on the Official World Golf Ranking, and gets back to a happy hunting ground when he tees-off at the D+D Real Czech Masters on Thursday, 24 August 2023.
Finishing a shot back of the leader at sole second last year, Gavin has a reputation to protect, but the mindset of a professional golfer is different. Gavin is drawing heavily from this time last year to go one better and announce his breakthrough on the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour.
Last season hadn’t opened on a great note, but did not come as a shock as Gavin was in the midst of “tweaking stuff” like working on his golf swing, among other things. All the changes came together the week before Prague, at the Asian Tour’s International Series in Singapore.
In conversation with Gavin Green, Malaysia’s top professional golfer
The tied second at the Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore was the perfect set-up for a strong week in Europe, and Gavin replicated it at the Czech Masters by riding on the momentum and “trust in the hard work” leading to those two weeks.
The sole second in Prague was an extension of another strong show here in 2018 when Gavin finished sole third. On the back of this, Gavin is quietly confident but refuses to get ahead of himself.
“I know the golf course inside out,” he said on the familiarity, “but it will be a bit tough to replicate (last year). However, if you have the game and confidence, it will happen,” he said.
It sure can, considering he is back on Tour after a refreshing break at home. Faraway from living out of suitcases on Tour, Gavin took out time, in between practice, to shake the rust off a skill he picked up during the pandemic.
The world at a standstill and with nothing to do, Gavin took a leaf out of his chef father’s book and acquired a certain degree of proficiency in rustling up fried rice. Garlic, chicken or shrimp, Gavin takes pride in laying it on the family’s dining table.
A star is born
Though crisscrossing continents on Tour is now a part of him, home is still where the heart is and brings back memories of picking up golf in Kuala Lumpur for “fun”. “I got serious when I was 10, started playing tournaments and enjoyed the challenge,” says Gavin.
Growing up, as was the case with many kids, Tiger Woods was the role model. Those were heady days in the highest echelons of professional golf with the man (Tiger) in his traditional red and black on the deciding Sunday raising the bar all the time.
Hard work, his parents’ unflinching support and Tiger’s motivation proved to be a heady potion for Gavin. There is acknowledgement. “His (Tiger’s) determination to win and pull it off when he had to was infectious.”
The 15-time Major winner’s motto, ‘It is never over till it is over’ rubbed off on Gavin and instilled the determination and ability to turn it around when the chips were down. A case in point is the 2021 season, which Gavin terms his “worst year” in professional golf, but came out of the slump to post four top-10s, including the sole 2nd at the Czech Masters and Portugal Masters last year.
Defining season
The year was 2017 when Gavin’s fortunes changed forever on the golf course. Going into that season, Gavin had proved himself as a winner several times on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), the feeder line to the Asian Tour, and the foundation for his biggest moment till then was set in India.
The Hero Indian Open has an enviable history and Gavin added a nugget to his fledgling professional career by notching his first runner-up finish on a stage that had the entire Europe and Asia watching. The adrenaline racing and charting a course unknown to him till then, Gavin arrived in Taipei for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
He won, but the win that week was laced with grief. The week before, Gavin lost his grandfather and putting a cap to the pain in the quest for glory, Gavin had to draw from some of the lessons he had picked up from Tiger.
“Phew, there was so much hype. Coming in from ADT, I never expected so much (progressing to the European Tour, qualifying for the Major Championships and World Golf Championships). It was the coming together of so many years of hard work. People don’t realise, we professional golfers put in a lot of work behind the scenes,” said Gavin.
That week kicked off an upward trend that saw Gavin step up in a major way. He won the Asian Tour’s 2017 Order of Merit, booked a spot at the 2018 Open Championship and the step-up from Asia to Europe remains a “big stepping stone” even now.
Some laughs
Professional golf is draining on the mind and body, and when asked to recollect some lighter moments, Gavin gets thinking hard. After a pause, he came up with a few.
One coincided with an undoubtable career high, his maiden Major appearance at the 2018 Open Championship in Carnoustie, Scotland, and involved his idol.
With a laugh, Gavin replayed the moment after his tee-off on the 16th hole. There was some time for the second shot, and there was no way Gavin could miss Tiger’s tee off. “Hole No 1 was nearby, and I had to be there.” Gavin ticked a box but in the rush got distracted and ended up making bogey on the 16th.
Another instance, which too came up after deep thought, was from the 2017 Hero Indian Open, and is captured on video. Darkness was descending on the DLF Golf and Country Club and though Gavin was aware that the hooter would go off anytime, he hadn’t anticipated his reaction. “I was into my second shot on the 17th and was aware of the hooter, but when it did I got such a shock that the body started shaking vigorously,” said Gavin.
Brush with stars
A professional golfer is always on the lookout for a step-up, and Gavin has had a lot of such moments.
For golf, 2016 was a landmark year with the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games witnessing the sport’s return to the world’s biggest sporting event after a long gap. Gavin had just entered the ranks of professional golf, and Rio was among the first big events he got a taste of. “There was some stage fright but was a very good learning experience with plenty of takeaways,” he said.
Watching Tiger at the 2018 Open Championship ranks right up there, but competing with the-then World No 1 Dustin Johnson and watch him win the 2021 Saudi International also stands out.
“Both of us hit it fade and are aggressive off the tee, and it was amazing to see DJ’s consistency and how equally good he is with all the clubs. The biggest takeaway was how well he blends his humility with his aggression on the golf course. One can’t be scared of failure if the intent is to get better,” said Gavin.
The 2018 World Cup of Golf in Melbourne was another chance to learn from the top stars, especially Aussie winners Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, both PGA Tour stars.
Style statement
Turning up immaculately dressed week in and week out is one of the trademarks of a professional golfer, and British clothing brand Castore has Gavin covered on this front. The Malaysian golfer is in an elite league as Castore is associated with the likes of Newcastle United, Rangers, England Cricket, South Africa Cricket, Bundesliga’s Bayer Leverkusen, and Formula One’s McLaren and Red Bull. Gavin’s association with Castore is just a year old but the collection in his possession has him gushing.
As for the golf equipment, global giant Callaway is the go-to name for the past two years. Gavin rode some rough waters, read the patchy form at the start of the year, but Callaway stood by him and for that the professional golfer is profusely thankful.
Giving back to the game
Traversing through junior, amateur and professional golf, Gavin has made his notes carefully, and shared his jottings with our readers.
“It is important to have a good foundation if one is keen to excel in amateur golf, and later make the transition to professional golf. The learning experience is huge but above all is the love for the sport and the will to succeed,” said Gavin.
“Golf, especially professional golf, is a game of misses, and it is critical to have a good coach to help step-up and a great team to have around especially during the leap of faith (from amateur to professional golf).”
Golf is an expensive sport, and Gavin felt the pinch too while growing up. But as he made headway in the sport, realisation dawned. “If you want to make money, you need to invest in yourself and become a better golfer,” he said.
Getting to know Gavin Green
Age: 29
Country: Malaysia
Turned professional: 2015
World ranking: 202
Biggest career highlight: Winning the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit
(Main and featured images: Octavio Passos/ Getty Images)