Draft:Hiroshi Tai

Hiroshi Hirahara Tai is a Singaporean amateur golfer who has made significant strides in the collegiate golf scene. He gained widespread recognition in 2024 after winning the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship, becoming the first Asian to achieve this feat. Tai's success on the golf course began early in his life, and he has since become a prominent figure in both Singaporean and collegiate golf.

He is set to compete at the 2024 U.S Open and the 2025 Masters, where he will be writing a new chapter to the Singaporean golf history as the first Singaporean National to compete at Augusta.

Early Life
Tai was born in February 5th, 2002 in Hong Kong. His family shortly moved to Singapore where he spent majority of his youth. He then attended Windermere Prep in Orlando, FL where as the captain, he led the Windermere Lakers to the state championship in 2019.

Military Service
After graduating from high school in 2020, Tai served 22 months in the Singapore Navy. During his military service, Tai developed discipline and mental toughness, qualities that have significantly contributed to his composure on the golf course. He reflect his time in the Navy to have been instrumental in shaping his approach to both life and golf, preparing him for the rigors of competitive sports and academic pursuits at Georgia Tech.

2022-2023: Freshman Season
Hiroshi started his collegiate career in 2022 with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In his freshman year, he has won two events (Maui Jim / Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational), which was fifth in the program history, joining the likes of Luke Schniederjans, Cameron Tringale, Matt Kuchar, Bill McDonald.

He was part of the 2023 Georgia Tech team that was a runner-up in the NCAA team championship.

2023-2024: Sophomore Season
In his second season with the Yellow Jackets, he won the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, with a final score of 3-under-par 285. Tai overcame a triple bogey on the 17th hole in the final round and secured his victory with a closing par.

His final round performance helped Georgia Tech to advance to match play where the Yellow Jackets beat Top seed Illinois, and eventually finishing with Top 4 in the tournament after the loss to Florida State in the semi-finals.

Amateur Career
Hiroshi has been the core member of the Singaporean National team, first representing his country as early as in high school. As a member of the team, He represented Singapore in the 31st SEA games and twice in the World Amateur Team Championship (2022: Dubai / 2023: Paris).