Ramayah passed away at 10.20am today at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM in Cheras, said his brother-in-law M Ramasamy. He was 67.
On Saturday, he had breathing difficulties and was taken to the hospital from the Metro Eldercare nursing home in Petaling Jaya where he had been receiving hospice care for free.
Ramayah was bedridden even before he was diagnosed with stage four spinal cancer last month.
He is survived by his wife Pathma and 14-year-old daughter, Bhakialakshmi. Details of the funeral will be announced soon.
Ramayah was a caddie, picking up golf balls, and playing with “guava clubs” at the Royal Selangor Golf Club’s (RSGC) old course, before he converted pure talent into trophies with audacity.
As much as charisma, Ramayah possessed skill in abundance that made him a rookie golfer at 14, a professional at 18, the man to beat from 1976 to 1997, and later as a much sought after coach.
Former sportswriter George Das said Ramayah was a sportsman who was capable of feats that would be near-impossible to others.
“Every time he clutched a club, he came alive. The impossible was an everyday thing for him,” said Das, who covered Ramayah’s rise to stardom from his days as a caddie.
In his last interview with FMT, Ramayah, like the fighter he was, spoke of fighting cancer.
“You can’t have it all in life,” he said. “You never know what is going to happen next.”
He said he was eternally grateful to the many donors who had contributed generously towards his medical care, prayed for him, and encouraged him to be strong.
“I might be in pain, but I’m still grateful because although I have this illness, God has replaced it with happiness in my soul.
“We are now one big family, and I will always value the caring and selfless qualities of everyone,” he said.
An FMT report on Feb 15 about the plight of Ramayah sparked a flood of donations totalling about RM200,000 for his medical treatment as he could not afford it.
Golf knowledge
Despite being struck by spinal cancer, Ramayah never took it lying down.
A recent FMT story about him imparting his golf knowledge to some of his former students from his hospital bed stirred emotions among many.
Ramayah was a self-taught golfer, who embellished the game marvellously, together with his small band of 70’s golf pros.
While it was his greatness and influence as a golfer that established him in the pantheon of Malaysian sporting giants, it was the way in which he went about the game that was captivating.
Ramayah didn’t just play golf, he energised the masses by attacking it and making an infernally difficult sport look refreshingly easy with sheer boldness.
It was not what he won. It was how he played with nerve. He was a taker of risks, who, for instance, made birdies from improbable locations where anyone else would have been happy with a bogey.
His golfing buddy Qadeer Ahmad said: “He was a natural, a real delight to watch. Words cannot describe his talent.”
The humble ‘birdie machine’
According to a Facebook post by “Sandakan Eagle”, Ramayah was nicknamed “Birdie Machine” by the illustrious Jack Nicklaus in 1993 during a Skins Invitational at the Sungei Long Golf Club in Selangor.
Ramayah told “Sandakan Eagle”: “I shot my first birdie on the 7th hole and by the 17th hole, I had already accumulated 10 skins.
“I went on to win 12 skins, and Jack Nicklaus walked up to me, placed his arms around me and called me a ‘Birdie Machine’.”
The alluring sporting trait was also part of his personality. He was a charming and generous person whose warmth enchanted everyone he came into contact with.
Singapore veteran pro M Murugiah said Ramayah was one of a kind and highly-regarded regionally as a unique player. “I am happy to have played with him and known him for over 30 years.”
His exuberance, humility and numerous championship wins can be attributed to him learning the basics of golf as a caddie at RSGC together with the late V Nellan and K Selaruas.
One of his last wishes from his hospital bed was to ask his student Dave Looi, a Singaporean businessman, to take him on a visit to RSGC. It didn’t happen as he was too weak.
Ramayah first made an impact on Malaysian golf at the age of 19 when he stunned then golf stars like Bobby Lim and Zainal Abidin Yusof to clinch the Malaysian PGA championship.
Soon, he began to create waves and went on to partner Nazamuddin Yusoff in his World Cup debut in Athens in 1979, finishing 13th, both in the team event and in the individual category.
Nazamuddin said: “His golf skills were exceptional. He was without a doubt the best in this region.
“He was like an older brother to me and we had a special relationship. I always called him ‘annan’ (which is Tamil for older brother).”
Two years later, he made world headlines after beating Bernhard Langer, Gary Player and Sandy Lyle to clinch the Marcos Invitational title in the Philippines.
At the 1994 World Cup in Puerto Rico, Ramayah and the late P Gunasegaran charged into the final round in third place but faded to finish ninth – the best placing yet in the championships for Malaysia.
Five years later, he played alongside Tiger Woods in the same flight when Malaysia hosted the 1999 World Cup.
His other notable credentials include playing in the Dunhill Cup in St Andrews, Scotland, and being part of the 1998 Johnnie Walker Super Tour with Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Jesper Parnevik.
Veteran pro Sahabuddin Yusof said: “I dare say Ramayah, who was gifted, sincere and a very talented golfer was of world standard, and even better than Vijay.”
Three miracles
Ramayah had cheated death three times in a plane crash, a car accident, and a shooting mishap between 1983 and 1993.
He was returning home with Nellan and Selaruas after a tournament in Singapore in 1983 when MH684 crashed into a swamp, 2km from Subang International Airport.
The passengers and crew escaped before the raging fire consumed the doomed aircraft. Ramayah, then 28, developed a fear of flying.
Six years later, he was badly injured after his car crashed into a divider and overturned in Ipoh. In 1993, a gunshot accidentally fired by a friend narrowly missed him during dinner before a local tournament in Kelantan.
Unfortunately, there was no miracle for Ramayah in his battle against cancer that began soon after he had experienced pain in his rib cage after a session of teaching golf last December.
There is deep sadness over the loss of the man who inspired a generation of players, and expressed virtues that are rare in the modern corporate world of sport
The nation stands reminiscing his exploits, forlorn.