Everyone who has heard the news is reeling in shock. Asia’s golf legend Kyi Hla Han is no longer among us, and the golf world is left to mourn his untimely passing.
According to a post on social media, Kyi Hla was undergoing a stem cell treatment to eliminate the last few percent of multiple myeloma cancer when he contracted an infection that led to multiple complications. He was preparing well for the treatment and was fit and active with golf, walking, swimming, and entertaining close friends in town for the Singapore Open. He fought right until the end, but it was not to be.
On Saturday, 19 February, he passed away at 3.28 pm in Singapore, surrounded by his family, his daughters Natasha and Kaitlyn and wife Marlene Han and close friends. He had just turned 61 on 13 February.
Kyi Hla loved being in the outdoors and nature. He loved hiking and walking in beautiful places in Myanmar, Singapore, and Vancouver. He also loved diving and being on the water, spending many holidays with the family in Bali and Thailand. Anyone who knew Kyi Hla was well acquainted with his love for music and his beloved guitars. It was a love he shared with his daughter, Natasha.
His other great passion was golf.
Kyi Hla turned professional in 1980 and had a thriving 25-year playing career that saw him win on 12 occasions, most notably in the 1994 Singapore Open and the Volvo China Open in 1999. That was the year he claimed the Asian Tour Order of Merit title. He also represented Myanmar in five World Cups. Kyi Hla was one of the early Asian golfers’ who had the desire and grit to leave his home country and travel extensively to play golf and hone his skill.
In 2004, he retired from competitive golf and took on the mantle of Asian Tour’s Executive Chairman in 2006. Drawing on his two and a half decades of experience, he successfully led the tour for over 10 years. Even after he left his position on the tour, Kyi Hla was constantly sought after and was available for advice, always a fierce advocate for players’ interests.
Even after he retired from the tour in 2016, Kyi Hla was never far away from his passion, investing his time in the growth and development of junior golf through his work with the JGTA. Having conquered the fairways and the region, he used his vast playing experience to design golf courses, forming the Kyi Hla Han Golf Design in 2014.
Kyi Hla was a man of small stature, but he had a big heart. He always had a smile for everyone he met, had a great sense of humour and was very popular. He had that easy-going demeanour about him that made him everyone’s friend. His laid-back manner also made him very approachable to golf writers. He had a way about him that made one feel welcomed in his presence.
Personally, in all my years of covering golf events, I have never met a man so accomplished in his field, yet so humble, kind and generous with his time and knowledge. It has been an honour to write about Kyi Hla Han, a champion golfer and a true flag-bearer for Asian golf.
The Asian Tour will be creating a Kyi Hla Han Future Champion Award in his honour to aid the development of juniors and the sport of golf in Asia.
To Marlene and his daughters, our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Kyi Hla. You shall be greatly missed and never forgotten.
