By George Das
This was his final round. Sulaiman Bluah was tired, and every stroke was really difficult to strike as he journeyed in the last few months.
He chugged along. Dragging his wrecked body to the last before tipping his cap and slipping away.
Even with cancer eating into him, he continued with his daily walks, and when he got to his 88th birthday, he promptly declared, ” I know I won’t make the cut beyond this mark”.
Sulaiman was 88 when he passed away on 23 June 2026 in Ipoh from cancer.
For those who knew the man, they would all have remembered him as “A humble and quiet golfer.”
However, on the course, he showcased his talent with his considerably long drives and chips. He came from the 1960s era when Malaysian golf was still in its infancy. Golf courses were out of reach for most Malaysians. Only the affluent could afford to play the game.
With his brothers Eshak and Barie, they joined forces with the Deran duo of Darwis and Jalal and the Yusof siblings of Zainal Abidin, Sahabuddin, Khairuddin and Nazamuddin to become an essential part of Malaysia’s golf history.
The Bluahs, Derans and the Yusof string of siblings established a golfing dynasty out of Perak. Sulaiman and the rest honed their unmatchable skills as self-taught golfers through the caddie ranks.
In the early 1960s, Sulaiman laid the groundwork for his family. At the Malaysian Amateur Open in 1964, he came close to making history.
In the match-play format of those days, J.H. Mitchell, a British businessman working in Singapore, narrowly defeated his rival, Sulaiman, “one-up.” This loss was a very agonising experience for Sulaiman, but he took it in his stride.
Sulaiman went on to record his name in the annals of Malaysian golf when he teamed up with Darwis Deran, Zainal Abidin Yusof and L. Ayaroo to capture the prestigious 1966 Putra Cup in Bangkok.
They crushed their formidable Thai hosts on their home course by a massive 12 strokes. Winning on foreign soil, the first ever, was historic.
It was even more commendable when they finished with a total score of 894 over 72 holes. It was the first time that a team had gone under the 900-stroke barrier since the inception of the Putra Cup in 1962. Sulaiman, Zainal, Darwis and Ayaroo were the catalysts who started the local golf revolution.
For all his contributions to local golf, fellow golfers will always remember Sulaiman for his humility and quiet presence. So, Sulaiman, 88, is a good finish. You have left behind a golfing legacy that should be archived.
George Das runs the mysportsflame.com sports news portal dedicated to Malaysians who have done the country proud in the past.
WE