Fri, 02 Apr 2004

FedEx golf to begin 8th season

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The eighth edition of the FedEx Corporate Golf Tournament will begin its six-month swing on April 16, with organizers looking to provide business opportunities for the participants.

The tournament, which will be played in six legs at six different golf courses using six different formats, is seen as an opportunity for businesspeople to establish contacts.

"The tournament is an opportunity for them to get pleasure and work at the same time," Alan Clarke of copromoter ATD Events said here on Thursday.

Clarke was accompanied by Indra Joesmen, a representative of main sponsor FedEx, and Isma Wootten, director of Golf Links Indonesia.

The tournament, Clarke said, would help participants promote their companies and build business networks.

There will be one leg every month, with the opening round to begin on April 16 at the Emeralda Golf & Country Club.

Other venues for the event will be the Riverside Golf Club, Permata Sentul Golf Club, Gunung Geulis Country Club, Bumi Serpong Damai and the Jagorawi Golf & Country Club, which will host the closing leg on Sept. 3. The play formats will include the Four-Man Texas Scramble, Best Two Gross from Two Scores, Two Ball Better-Ball Gross, One- Two-Three-Four, FedEx Ball and the Two Texas Scramble.

The winner will be decided based on total points collected throughout the event. A hole-in-one grand prize will also be up for grabs.

The tournament was first staged in 1997, following similar events in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Last year's edition, which was won by a team from Hotel Kristal, included a total of 26 teams, each comprising four players.

Apart from the business networking, the tournament also raises funds for charity. More than Rp 50 million was collected last year, with the money going to the Dilts Foundation.

"We are still looking for a charity for this year's tournament," Isma said, adding that they were expecting almost the same number of teams as last year.