Golf Fits Jo Ee To A Tee!

If Kok Jo Ee’s father had not signed her up for a junior golf holiday programme, we could be seeing the spunky lass curving balls in the bowling alley instead of on the greens.

“I took up bowling as a CCA in primary school and was almost in the school team! But when I was 8, my dad enrolled me in a programme that had a coach who made golf fun. That was when I got hooked on the game of golf,” the now 14-year-old Jo Ee recounts. And it seems that she’s born for the game.

Pillars Of Support

Golfers themselves, Jo Ee’s parents were very supportive of their daughter’s love for the game. Sensing her potential, they spared no effort in sending her to the various golf courses for training and competitions, even allowing her to compete overseas to gain exposure. In addition, Jo Ee receives great support from other organisations such as the SLGA, First Tee Foundation and HSBC Youth Golf Programme which offers her subsidised or free training and competitions.

It is something that Jo Ee is grateful for and she has responded by training hard – six times a week, to be exact. Her love for the sport sees her spending up to two hours just practicing her putts. And it’s something she thoroughly enjoys. “I love to putt! I’ve learnt that putting is the most crucial part for winning a tournament.”

More Ups Than Downs

The rigorous training schedule does has its setbacks. “My friends never understand why I love golf so much. They think it’s boring. They often ask me to go out with them but I have no time during school term. In fact, I think I spend more time with my golfing peers than my school friends!”

For Jo Ee though, winning competitions is enough to convince her she’s making the right choice. The talented player won her first competition in 2004. “I came in first for Junior Girls under 11 in the 3rd National Inter-Primary School Individual Golf Championship. I was overwhelmed with joy as it was the first competition I participated in, and I won! That spurred me on to play golf competitively,” she enthuses.

Jo Ee has since gone on to win other tournaments, the most recent one being the Faldo Series Singapore Championships in September 2008. It was her second time winning the competition and her win will see her pit her skills against other junior golfers from the region in the Grand Finals in China in March 2009.

One Step At A Time

Counting Phil Mickelson as her golfing idol, the cheerful girl’s drive to win tournaments and to better her scores have led her to take part in various competitions. She believes that in order to win, one needs to have “passion, the hunger to win and the discipline to train” – qualities which we are sure Jo Ee possess.

At the moment though, Jo Ee has no further ambitions other than training and continuing to play competitively. “I’m hoping to receive a golf scholarship to play college golf in the US. And if I do well in college golf, I may consider turning pro later on,” she muses. A pause, and she adds with a smile, “I also hope to win a major tournament for Singapore, like in the SEA games!”

With Jo Ee’s dogged perseverance on the greens, passion and track record, we may just see that happen in the next few years.

Short Takes With Jo Ee

What other passions do you have, other than golf?
I’m a big fan of Formula One!.

What’s your favourite non-golf activity?
Watching TV!

Give us three tips to encourage other junior golfers.
1. Keep practicing , you’ll get better and better
2. Must have fun while competing or practicing
3. Focus when you are about to hit a shot, and take every shot seriously

Give us three tips to encourage other junior golfers.
Be disciplined, stay focused and stay positive!

What’s your favourite:
Book - I don’t read much
Music album - Meteora by Linkin Park
TV programme - CSI