Amateur c'ships serve as PON warm-up

SURABAYA (JP): The Indonesian Amateur Golf Championships, held next year in the East Java capital, will serve as preparation for the 15th National Games (PON).

The championships, where 254 golfers will compete from 108 clubs, will take place at the Ciputra Golf and Country Club from Sept. 23 to Sept. 26.

The organizers chairman, Rully Lasahido, told a news conference on Thursday that it was the first time Surabaya would host a national championship because it had just officially opened an international standard golf course.

The championship will be divided into two sections: the morning session will be attended by 77 golfers, while in the afternoon session there will be 70.

The final round, which will use a qualifying cut-off system, is to admit only 60 golfers.

Rully said that he would also organize another championship for women in November at the Yani Golf Course, Surabaya.

The Indonesian Golf Association (PGI) East Java chairman, Abdul Hamid, said five male and four female golfers were being groomed to represent the province in PON.

The golfers are Suprapto, Sahid, Haryono, Suyanto and Sardi on the men's side and Mrs. Daud, Mrs. Sugiono, Wati and Rita on the women's side.

In PON, only eight provinces will send their golfers.

"We hope the men's team will be able to win the gold medal, although we haven't set a target for them yet" Hamid said. (nur)