ASEAN golf tournament begins on BSD course
ASEAN golf tournament begins on BSD course
Eva C. Komandjaja, Jakarta
Junior golfers from six countries in the South East Asian
region are set to take part in the 10th Junior ASEAN Golf
Championship which begins on Tuesday at the Damai Indah Golf
Course, Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) in Tangerang.
The six-day championship, officially opened by Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso on Monday afternoon, features 121 players from
Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and
Indonesia.
As the host, Indonesia is competing with the bulk of the
participants. Malaysia has come with the most players among the
visiting teams with seven followed by Thailand (five), the
Philippines (three), Singapore (two) and Vietnam (one).
The tournament, which is being held to coincide with Jakarta's
477th anniversary, will have four age categories for boys and
girls: class A (age 15-17), class B (age 13-14), class C (age 11-
12) and class D (age 10 and below).
The boys class A and B plays 72 holes of stroke-play while the
boys C and D and the girls will play 54 holes.
Trophies from the governor and the golf course are up for
grabs.
Among the participants is last year's champion Abhinawa Sahari
of Indonesia. The 14-year-old is competing in the boys class A
division.
"I hope I can win the trophy back this year and I will still
be using the same strategy like last year's although the weather
is a bit unpredictable lately," he said.
Chairman of the Indonesian Golf Association (PGI) Haryanto
Dhanutirto said that the event was also part of PGI's yearly
program to promote youth golf.
"There are around only 500 young golfers in Jakarta and we
have 35 golf courses in Jakarta. We have to come up with programs
to improve these young golfers' skill and ability so they can
compete internationally in the future," Haryanto told reporters
during press conference.
He added that currently most Indonesian professional golfers
were originally working as caddies before they became players.
"None of them has come from the golf youth system. Famous
international golfer Tiger Woods started to play when he was six
or seven years old, therefore, we have to get junior golfers
starting around that age as well," he said.
According to Haryanto, competitions such as the ASEAN Junior
Championships are important for young golfers to gauge their
abilities against other foreign golfers.