“Even with all my trials and tribulations and the negative things in my life, golf was always the pillar that stayed consistent throughout everything.”
Now, Asaeli Marika Batibasaga (“Bat”) uses golf to change the lives of others.
This is Bat’s story, and the powerful message he hopes to leave for the younger generation.
Bat’s Golf Rise, Triumphs, and Love for Golf
As the son of a rugby legend, Bat’s athletic start came in the family sport, but his love for golf quickly took over.
Bat remembered, “I was athletic, and I could smash the ball even at a young age…I kind of got the bug really early.”
His love came before the thought of winning titles, earning sponsorships, or wearing green jackets, as he recalled, “At the time being 12, 13 years old, you don’t really know about being in contention or anything like that. You’re just kind of hitting and chasing the ball and finding it and hitting it again. It’s the absolute pure joy of the game.”
But with the increased competition came an even deeper love for the game. He shared, “Making Queensland state, our state team, then moving on to representing the country [and] being around players who are now on the PGA tour and LIV tour… it became the biggest passion of my life.”
Bat really rose onto the golf scene when he secured back-to-back Fiji Open victories in 2005 and 2006 and a win in the 2007 Queensland Amateur Championship.
Playing in Fiji, the home nation of his father, Bat remembered from the moment they saw the last name on his passport, the Fijians were rooting for him.
He continued, “I was a nobody, but just because of my last name and what my dad did, I kind of stepped into that kind of elite [persona of] someone that had accomplished great things.”
The support continued on through the weekend, as Bat explained, “I had TV cameras in my face, which I’d never experienced before… They were getting behind me because they’re like, ‘It’s a Batibasaga, but he’s not playing rugby, he’s playing golf.’ So I had all this crazy support and people running up to me and coming to watch me play, which I’d never really had.”
As the support grew, so did Bat’s confidence, as he recalled, “When they saw that I could play and how far I hit it…it (the support) gained, like it made me feel like, ‘I’m the man,’ which I’ve never really had like that. I played great and ended up winning. So carrying that on, I was like, ‘Maybe I can do this. I am pretty good.’ There was some of that belief about me being elite that was built from that point.”
Bat’s victories show the momentous nature of golf, and long-term momentum relies on the mental side.
Embed from Getty ImagesLearning The Mental Side of Golf
“The biggest thing with golf—and this has been spoken by so many golfers and athletes—it’s all on you. Which is a double-edged sword.”
He explained that in team sports like rugby, “you have your boys to rely on, but not only to rely on, they rely on you. There’s that we’re in this together [mentality]. So if you’re down, you’ve got someone there to pick you up…So you can quickly get over a mistake that you’ve made.”
Whereas in golf, he said, “You have to continuously pick yourself up; you have to continuously fight the negative thoughts on your mind.”
This mental skill makes the top players special. Bat expressed, “The ones that can forget about the negative or embrace the negative, are the ones that get to the elite, elite level. You don’t see guys on the PGA Tour, the LIV Tour, or elite amateurs beat themselves up to a point where it affects them more than one or two shots.”
Bat admitted that this internal dialogue is a personal struggle of his, but he’s continued to improve, “Internally, I would call myself a failure or beat myself to a point that wasn’t healthy… And [that’s] something that I will continuously work on. And I’ve definitely gotten better. I believe I’m a better golfer now than when I was playing on tour.”
This mental struggle is what makes golf so special. And Bat’s seen it up close with his best friend, “The battle within yourself is stronger than the physical, in my opinion. When you’re on the golf course, it’s on you. The great ones rise to that. They’re like, ‘Watch this, here it is. I am the man. I’ve got this.’ And they had that deep self-belief that’s so admirable. I mean, J-Day is a perfect example of that for me.”
But to Bat, this mental task represents life. He expressed, “I think the game of golf prepares you for life better than any other game because of the negatives that you have to continuously overcome to be good.”
Spreading Awareness for Mental Health Struggles
Sports, golf, and life pose victories and extreme heights, but they also bring moments of struggle. Bat openly shares his struggles to help leave an impact.
While pushing himself towards professional golf, Bat reached a breaking point and suffered a psychotic break, leading to a bipolar diagnosis. He shared how difficult this period of time was, but also how support and love from others pushed him through his battle.
When his caseworker came to him and asked if he’d be willing to share his story with high school kids since he thought they would resonante with someone with Bat’s athletic triumphs, Bat agreed.
But what he found is that, “If I could talk about my experience from putting the pressure on myself and failing and breaking, going to the point where I broke. Then maybe they could possibly hear some words of encouragement of somebody that has fallen, but is on their way back.”
And maybe they’d find, “If I do push myself, yes, I can fall, but with the love and support of others, I can build myself back up.”
Specifically to athletes who are struggling mentally, Bat shared: “Find some help and talk to people…We all struggle. We all battle. It doesn’t matter who you are.”
Bat overcame his struggles, and now, he’s using his experience to change lives. He knows how impactful the support of people like his mom and Jason Day was and hopes he can help kids who don’t receive that same level of support.
Embed from Getty ImagesJason Day’s Impact
“I’m so blessed to have someone like him in my life and always have, because he set the bar for me,” Bat shared.
At a young age and now, Jason Day was and is a role model. Bat said, “As a junior, he was so far ahead of us. He set the example, and didn’t do it by his words. He’s a man of very few words. He doesn’t do it like, ‘Hey, follow me.’ He does it in his work. He does it in his trying to master the craft, and he’s always been that way naturally.”
Getting to see him up close and chasing a tour win, Bat has seen what gives “J-Day” his competitive edge. He explained, “When he’s in that moment of like, ‘I’m in contention,’ he turns into another being.”
In 2018, Bat caddied for Day when he won the Farmers’ Open at a “brutal” course, Torrey Pines. Bat remembered, “It was my first week on the bag. And with like three or four, maybe five holes to play… He looked at the leaderboard, [and was] like, ‘I’m right there.’”
He continued, “From the Thursday when we teed off to that moment when he looked at the leaderboard and saw that he had a sniff, it’s like he transformed into this stone cold, like a Navy SEAL type mentality.”
Bat shared how special the moment was, “I’m not a caddy. So I just basically shut my mouth, just witnessed, and just tried to soak in as much as I could. That was one of the best moments in my life—just to kind of witness how somebody that’s great at what they do, that shift.”
Bat and Day’s childhood friendship has changed Bat’s life. Now, Bat and Day are growing a golfing YouTube channel together, The Lads.
Growing The Lads and Bat’s Platform
YouTube golf is a phenomenon, and The Lads are helping transform the industry.
Bat recalled the story of how it all began, “I started just filming our chipping comps because we’ve done that forever. You know, from when we were juniors, we would have chipping and putting comps…Whoever loses has to give a golf ball, stuff like that. And I started filming stuff and just posting it on my Instagram.”
Then Ryan Ruffels, who had been in the YouTube golf space for a few years, asked Day to come on his channel for a match. Day of course accepted the invitation, and the idea spread amongst the group: “Hey, why don’t we start our own thing?”
Fast forward to today—Bat, Day, Ruffels, Jeg Coughlin, and Luke Reardon, post golf content together on The Lads.
Posting videos including 1v1 matches amongst each other, course record videos with guests, and lessons, The Lads are focused on bringing authenticity and fun competition to YouTube Golf.
What makes The Lads so special is the elite skill level across the group, combined with the feeling that you’re watching a group of friends chirp and compete like normal.
And the channel has been life-changing, as Bat shared, “Not only has it given me a whole new different outlook on life, [but] I wake up every morning excited about certain ideas and things that I think we can bring to the table to help build others up that are watching our channel. And the same goes for all of us.”
The excitement Bat brings to the channel, golf, and life is contagious. With the platform Bat and The Lads are building, he’s sharing his story and striving to impact the younger generations.
Bat wants to use his platform and his story to give back. He shared his thoughts on the message he hopes his story leaves, “My story is what it is, and it’ll continue to grow. But ultimately, that we are in this together; that no matter how great you are, to give back, and to try and help support our youth. To show love and to show support and appreciation to help that next generation, even if it’s just one kid.”
He added:
“So that’s why this stuff to me is going to be a cornerstone of my life to try and help others, especially the youth. Because I know I carry that energy that people respond to…I want to use that power for good, to help.”
In both the game of golf and life, Bat has been at the top, and he’s also faced struggles. He’s using this experience to change the game of golf and to help change lives.
His platform is only going to continue to grow, and so will his story.
The Players’ Corner 
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