Faldo, Frost, Singh to play in Asian Masters

JAKARTA (JP): Golf world beaters David Frost of South Africa, Vijay Singh of Fiji and Nick Faldo of Britain will try to tame the plush Bali Golf and Country Club when they play in the US$345,000 Asian Masters in November.

The par-72 layout at the Nusa Dua tourist resort was the host of the 1993 Sampoerna Indonesia Open, a stop on the 10 leg Asian Tour made throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Frost whose current world ranking is 9th and the 16th ranked Fijian golfer, who made his name on the Asian Tour, have confirmed their entry in the country's richest event.

"Faldo's participation in the inaugural of the Alfred Dunhill Asian Masters in Bali is 90 percent confirmed," said Mark Adams of the International Management Group, a London-based sports management group overseeing the event yesterday.

Alfred Dunhill Pacific's decision to sponsor the new tournament came as part of its aggressive advertising putsch in the region.

"The decision to sponsor a major new golf tournament in the Asia Pacific region has been based on the considerable importance of this market to Alfred Dunhill," said Richard Cole of the Alfred Dunhill Pacific as quoted by Adams.

He said the Asian Masters will be contested annually on different regional courses.

"It is our intention to attract leading international players such as Faldo to play alongside the best Asian and Australian players to ensure the Masters 120-man field," Cole said.

The Indonesia Golf Association (PGI) has decided to sanction the Asian Masters following the approval of the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation.

"We can only sanction such international major events after the organizers obtained the needed approval from APGC," PGI secretary Taufik Aziz said.

PGI, he added, fully backs the event because it will help promote Indonesia as a tourist destination. "Naming Bali Golf and Country Club as the host of the inaugural Asian Masters is I think, the right choice." (rsl)