It was a chance of a lifetime.
Simply unbelievable – an experience he enjoys talking about.
Tanah Merah Country Club Member Ivan Wang grabbed on the opportunity to caddie for Englishman Justin Peter Rose at the recent major event at Augusta National Course – Masters Tournament.
Rose is a seasoned professional who plays on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He first rose to prominence as a 17-year-old amateur when he holed out from the rough for a dramatic birdie on the 18th at the 1998 Open Championship to finish fourth. A former world number one, Rose reached the pinnacle of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2018 and has been a Ryder Cup stalwart and Olympic gold medallist.
It was only on the eve of the 89th US Masters golf tournament that Wang was handed the dream job for the Par-3 contest on April 9.
Even before daybreak that Wednesday, Wang was already up, waiting to go to the course in a limo with his best friend from England (a business colleague) just after breakfast.
On arrival, he walked past huge crowds to the Players’ Room where he met up with Englishman Rose, who subsequently finished runner-up to Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy in the Major event after a play-off.
Said Wang: “My English friend, who arranged the caddie role for me, accompanied me to meet Rose.
“Rose was an affable guy, really down-to-earth. After the handshake, I donned the white caddie uniform and was about to carry Rose’s half-set to the first hole.
“Suddenly, he stopped me and told me to carry his full set for he wanted me to get the real Masters experience of being a caddie.
“It was sweet of him to do this, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“On the last hole, the caddie is slated to hit the tee-shot. But alas, I sent my shot into water, as I was just short on the 102-metre hole with Rose’s 52-degree wedge
Wang, 40, born in Shan Xi province in China, studied Russian literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University and worked in Hong Kong before coming to Singapore in 2020.
The 13.9 handicapper picked up the oil trade business on the job and currently works for Gunvor Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gunvor SA, a large independent commodities trading house headquartered in Geneva.
He travels frequently because of work and also makes occasional golf trip with friends.
But ticking off this trip to Augusta from his bucket list was the “most amazing” for the father of three who plays once or twice a week at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Wang often plays at the Tampines Course, but he believes that the sister Garden Course offers a different challenge although shorter.
Scrolling through hundreds of photos showing his presence at the beautiful layout of the Augusta course famed for its azaleas, dogwoods and pine needles, he exhibited many videos of him and Rose.
Added Wang: “During the main event, I followed Rose for two days, but on the last day, after joining the crowds behind Rory, I switched to the Amen Corner, a trying trio of fascinating holes.
“But when I saw on the leaderboard that Rose was back in contention, I switched back to him.
“It was a pity that he became runner-up yet again (three times) and is still searching for his first Masters win.”