In an interview with Malay Mail, Chia explained that while many feel that golf isn’t as draining as other sports, he felt that physicality now plays a major role in the new age of golf.
“A lot of people debate whether golf is more about smarts or strength, I’d go with ‘smarts’ every time because a player’s mentality has a lot to do with the game,” said Chia.
“But now, especially for the newer generation of golfers, physique and strength come into play more.”
He added that the approach golfers take to ‘stay fit’ has substantially changed over the years, with golfers nowadays taking meticulous care with maintaining and improving their physical condition.
“Twenty years ago, you could see golfers of all shapes and sizes. Physical conditioning wasn’t really a big part of the sport back then,” said Chia.
“Now they (golfers) are all much fitter and spend a lot of time in the gym, working out to stay fit. So the physical side of things has become as important as the intellectual aspect.”
Chia, 47, started out as a professional in 1996 and is now one of the most well-known Malaysian golfers in the country, achieving historical feats such as becoming the first Malaysian to strike a shot in the British Open at St. Andrews, Scotland in 2005.
Having accumulated numerous local and Asian Tour wins under his belt, Chia plans to continue adding on to that long list of triumphs even when he eventually enters the senior category.
“Even though there are still some sides to my game that I would like to improve, like being stronger or hitting longer, I’m 47 now so I have to be careful with what I do,” said Chia.
“I try to go to the gym whenever I can to do some light workouts but you always need to be careful not to pick up any injuries.
“I have been struggling with a back injury. But apart from that if I’m able to maintain my condition, I will try to keep playing until I’m 50 and join the senior’s tour.”
Despite nearing the twilight of his career, Chia is quietly optimistic about the future of Malaysian golf with four young local amateurs teeing off alongside the professionals this week.
“I hosted a junior event last week and it was a really good experience,” said Chia.
“It’s important that we give back to the game and provide these young players with the opportunity to play against top-ranked players so that they can improve.”
Speaking about the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020 (BMO 2020), Chia expressed that he hoped his familiarity of the Kota Permai Golf & Country Club would help him progress to the weekend cut.
“I’ve played on this course many times before so I think I know this course well enough,” said Chia.
“I’ve been working a lot on my driving and my putting for this tournament, so as long as I keep the ball on the fairway it should go well.”
Chia teed off from the first tee at 1.20 pm on the first day of the tournament alongside Berry Henson (USA) and Yuta Ikeda (Japan).
Malay Mail is an official media partner for the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020.
For more information and updates about the Bandar Malaysia Open 2020, you can visit the Facebook event page here or surf over to https://themalaysianopen.com/
