If only he could turn back time, Malaysian veteran golfer Danny Chia says he wished he could have jumped at the opportunity of

making it big on Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) during his prime.

The 49-year-old, regarded as one of the most illustrious Malaysian professional golfers in history, has spent most of his career plying trade on the Asian Tour where he has two titles under his belt.

The victories in the 2002 Acer Taiwan Open and 2015 Mercuries Taiwan Masters made him the only Malaysian to have won twice on the Asian Tour until today.

Although he often featured in the events jointly sanctioned by JGTO and Asian Tour, it wasn’t until 2018 that Danny began to travel

and regularly to Japan.

This came after Danny secured his main Tour card for the 2018 season through the Final Qualifying Tournament (FQT).

It has taken Danny three attempts to finally earn his JGTO membership.

In the 2017 FQT, Danny finished joint 19th to be among the 35 successful candidates that included Korea's YE Yang,

the 2009 PGA Championship champion, at the Central Golf Club in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Danny’s debut on JGTO however was far from memorable as he could only make two cuts from 10 appearances on the main Tour,

thus failing to retain his card.

He did salvage something that year by finishing tied second in the JGTO Novil Final.

But the invaluable experience that 2016 Rio Olympian Danny gained in that one season was enough to convince him to make Japan as his regular fixtures in the following years.

Danny would compete mostly on the ABEMA Tour and continued to show that he’s no pushover despite his age when he registered

another joint runner-up finish at the i Golf Sharper Challenge in Chikushigaoka in April last year.

“I have a Japanese sponsor who look after me, I wish I could have met him way earlier. I always wonder how would it turn out if I had given Japan a shot when I was at the peak of my career,” said Danny, who still holds the distinction as the first Malaysian to play all

four rounds of a Major in the 2010 Open Championships at St. Andrews.

So, what’s so appealing about playing in Japan that Danny encourages his fellow international professional counterparts, especially Asians, to consider pursuing a career here?

“It’s easy to travel around, I don't have to fly every week,” he noted.

“Most importantly the competition in Japan is very strong, and the conditions of the golf courses are always very good and

consistent.

“JGTO can certainly be compared to all the other major tours in the world. There are so many talented young players coming up now and the playing standards are so high here.

“Whether you’re young aspiring professionals or seasoned campaigners, you should give it a try. Those guys who have been

travelling around the world, especially, I think it’s a great tour to play. Apart from the decent courses, the prize funds are lucrative too.”

If there is one important lesson Danny has learned from his playing stints in Japan, that’s patience and composure.

“I’m able to control my temper better on the golf course. In Japan, how you behave on the golf course is very important. I seldom see players throwing club and swearing even when they’re having a bad day on the course,” he said.

On his best memory in Japan, Danny said he would never forget the day he passed the Japan PGA pro test.

“It was my first-ever pro trial. I had to go through gruelling four-stage playing test and underwent a seven-day orientation too. I was

really proud to have gone through all that,” recalled Danny.

“I never had one as back in Malaysia I was given a pro card without having to through any the by virtue of being the national No 1

amateur.”

Danny, buoyed by his creditable runner-up outing in the local Tour event last month, is planning to head back to Japan in April despite not holding any JGTO status.

Danny went to the Qualifying Tournament (QT) last year but failed to advance from the Third Stage. He’s ranked No 171 in the overall QT ranking.

“I don’t have any status but I will go back to Japan and stay there for four months to train and prepare for the senior Tour there,” said Danny.

“I’m ranked No 171, so the chances of making cut for ABEMA Tour events are very slim. But I will make sure myself ready for any

eventuality because the plan is to play whatever tournaments I get into.

“I’m reaching 50 this year but it’s never too late to do anything. For me golf is a never-ending sport. Every day I get to learn something new, and even at this age I always felt that I still have plenty of room for improvement.

“That's what keep me going.”