Tournament: Porsche Singapore Classic
Race to Dubai: Tournament 15 of 44 events
The Asian Swing: Tournament 1 of 5 events
Venue: Laguna National Golf Resort Club, Singapore
Prize Fund: $2,500,000
Hashtag: #PorscheSingaporeClassic #DPWT
To download full player interview transcripts, please click here.
Tournament Preview
Shane Lowry is aiming to continue his good run of form as he makes his final appearance before the first Major Championship of the year at this week’s Porsche Singapore Classic.
Laguna National Golf Resort Club plays host to the opening event on the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing and the Irishman will tee it up in Singapore for the first time in 12 years as he makes his season bow on the 2024 Race to Dubai.
The 2019 Open Champion and Ryder Cup star arrives in Singapore in a strong vein of form, with last week’s tie for 19th at THE PLAYERS Championship following back-to-back top five finishes and he is now targeting another strong result ahead of next month’s Masters Tournament, the first Major of the year.
Frenchman Matthieu Pavon makes his DP World Tour return this week after a life-changing few months. The 31-year-old claimed his breakthrough victory at the acciona Open de España by Madrid last year as he earned dual membership on the PGA TOUR, where he has since risen to wider prominence.
In just his 11th start – and third of the season – Pavon became the first Frenchman to win on the PGA TOUR since Arnaud Massy at The Open in 1907 when he claimed a one-shot victory in the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
The World Number 27 is the highest ranked player in the field and will be joined by a strong mixture of proven winners and rising stars in Singapore, including defending champion Ockie Strydom and Denmark’s Rasmus Højgaard, who has finished no lower than 11th in his five starts in 2024.
Meanwhile, Race to Dubai Number Two Rikuya Hoshino will look to replace Rory McIlroy at the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex following his maiden victory in Qatar last month.
Porsche is continuing its long-standing relationship with the DP World Tour by extending its global golf involvement with a new multi-year deal to become Title Partner of the Porsche Singapore Classic, announced earlier this year.
The Porsche Singapore Classic is the first of five events on the Asian Swing, with visits to India, South Korea, Japan and China on the schedule in weeks to come.
Player quotes
Shane Lowry: “I played well the last few weeks, I’ve got a few nice results under my belt, so I’m pretty happy with how things have been going this season so far. I’ve come out pretty good and yeah looking forward to the next few weeks.
“I think it’s such a long time difference that it doesn’t really matter these days — no problems sleeping last night and might head out today and get some work done and get to know the course a little bit. And hopefully I can get out tomorrow then hopefully I get a good night’s sleep tonight and get out there tomorrow and go after it.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence and feel great about my game coming off the last few weeks so it’ll be nice to continue that on. And then I’ve got a two week break leading into Augusta so you never want to go into a Major off the back of a bad result so there’s a little bit of pressure on me to try and play well this week. But I’ve always got high expectations of myself and I’m hoping to come here and give myself a good chance come Sunday afternoon and hopefully do the business.”
Ockie Strydom: “It’s special. I booked a plane ticket for me and my wife. My wife didn’t want to come, but I said she doesn’t have a choice. So, it’s nice to be back. It’s not as humid as last year, a little bit more windier. But love this place. Just go out and enjoy myself again.
“You’ve got to stay hydrated. If you are not used to the humidity, then it’s going to drain you, it’s going to drain you mentally. You got to have a nice guy on the bag and I’ve got a great friend/brother in law in the bag. And he’s doing a great job. My wife’s here to help me with that as well, she calms me down. So I’m thankful she is here.”
Rasmus Højgaard: “I feel good. It was nice to have a week at home. The game’s been good and I had a good start to the year and I’m really looking forward to playing out here.
“The course is good, it’s very different from what we play in Europe. It’s quite nice — wide fairways we can hit it long off the tee. But the greens are tricky, there’s a lot of slope and you need to hit the right part of the green and you don’t want to be long off 18 because that’s a tricky up and down. So you really got to pay attention to where you hit your approach shots.”