Singapore American Newspaper - June/July 2014

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Singapore American • June/July 2014

T h e A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f S i n g a p o r e ’s

www.aasingapore.com

MCI (P) 178/01/2014

June/July 2014

ambassador's cup golf

2014 Ambassador's Cup Champions

Since 1958

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The 73rd Ambassador's Cup By Brian Hill

travel

“The Cup”… like a dew-covered green on an early summer morning, those magical words are enough to raise the pulse of any golfer. This year marked my 18th Ambassador’s Cup – and for longer than that it has been our Major. And like any Major, it’s full of ritual and tradition. For some, like the first robin of spring, the Cup is a cheerful reminder that summer is just around the corner. For some, it’s time to find your clubs in the closet and remove any moldy granola bars or crusty golf gloves hiding in bottom of your bag. For others, it signals a return to the driving range to search, against all hope, for that magical swing-thought that will have your irons singing and your short game humming like a finely tuned Swiss watch. Whatever your ritual, the Cup is our chance each year to reconnect with our fellow golfers and share a few laughs. A cursory survey of participants revealed these pre- and post-round rituals – clearly intended to keep the golf gods sated:

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unique hobbies

“I always drink two beers during the luncheon – both are drunk left-handed with an odd numbered golf ball floating in the glass. It never fails!”

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American Association

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The Ambassador's Cup

4-5

CRCE & Business

6-7

Community News

9-11

Living in Singapore

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Travel

21-23

Unique Hobbies

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Arts & Culture

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Food & Dining

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Health & Wellness

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Member Discounts

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What's Happening

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“For years our team has worn matching outfits. We decided to take it a step further this year and are all sporting ‘Who Let the Dogs Out!’ tattoos.” As you’re well aware, the Cup is replete with traditions that are staunchly upheld by the collective will of the players. It begins with The Collecting of the Ringgit. On closer inspection, that never-ending supply in the envelope in your glove compartment turns out to be a wad of 1 RM bills – and so the frantic search begins. The Checking of the Golf Bag. Tees … check. Exactly how many

Tournament Champions: Jonny Cook, Adam Ward, Chad Davis, Jacob Green Second Place : Shaun Thom pson, Matt Thomps on, Aaron W arnke, Tom Ra Third Place: De mar nnis Caraviello , Jim Cessford John Lee, Ciar , an Murphy Longest Drive Allamanda Men: Aaron W arnke 275 yds Women: Jack ie Shomaker 20 2 yds Cempaka Men: Andy Ho atson 335 yds Women: Jaim e Majalap 265 yds Nearest to th e Pin Allamanda: Aa ron Warnke 5' 6" Cempaka: To m Michael 3'1" Nearest to th e Line Allamanda: Ste ve Clark 1'8" Cempaka: An drew Collins 2' 6"

balls do I need for a scramble? How many cigars can I realistically smoke in one day? Is that a sandwich? The Border Crossing provides many opportunities to practice patience. Here’s a handy checklist: • Full tank of gas • Fresh envelope of ringgit • Touch‘n Go card – it’s supposed to be in the envelope with the ringgit • Passport & green card The Cup rewards our patience with 26km of unfettered bliss – the joy of accelerating past 90kph and floating along at 110++kph with nary a car in your way. The pre-round preparation begins in earnest once you arrive at Palm Resort. Check in, hit the range, register, get your awesome goody bag, get a locker, drink a beer, start planning your strategy, eat, drink another beer, catch up with all the folks you haven’t seen since last year, hit the putting green. At this point you attempt to empty your head of all thoughts (the natural state for some of us) and “be the ball.” Things get quiet on the putting green – time to focus … this is why you’re here, or have another beer and a banana and put on some sunscreen – it’s all good. As you complete your first hole, the vibe of the round is starting to settle in. Will it be a birdie-binge like last year, or are you secretly counting the holes until the first beer tent and hoping for some Lucky Draw mojo? For five hours, each team lives in its own world of heartbreaking lipouts, epic drives and tight approach shots. The bubble is occasionally pierced by shouts from teams that are clearly doing better than you are. Continued on page 4

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