Golf body hopes locals will rise at Indonesia Open

Golf body hopes locals will rise at Indonesia Open

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Golf Association hopes seven
locals will qualify for the final of the Satelindo Indonesia Open
1997 next month.

"We hope national players Maan Nasim, Kasiyadi, Ilyasak and
Marno are among the qualifiers," association official FX
Widyastanto said yesterday.

Fifteen local golfers are entered for the qualifying round of
the annual championships.

Surabaya-based Kasiyadi made local golf history when he won
the tournament at the Jakarta Golf and Country Club, Rawamangun,
East Jakarta, in 1989. He won the title with an 11-under-par 273.

One hundred and forty-five local and foreign golfers are
expected to compete in the US$250,000 tournament from April 24 to
April 27 at the Jagorawi golf and country club in Bogor.

The country's oldest golf tournament was first held at the
Tarutung golf course in Medan, North Sumatra, in 1974. Ben Arda
of the Philippines won the tournament.

In 1992, the tournament was canceled because of the fasting
month but was staged again a year later at the Nusa Dua Golf and
Country Club in Bali.

The tournament has been dubbed the most prestigious in the
Omega Asia PGA Tour.

Widyastanto said national amateur players training for the
19th SEA Games here in October would compete in a $10,000 pro-am
on April 23.

"We expect one of them can win the pro-am event," he said.

Widyastanto said he hoped the championship would boost the
development of local golf and produce a new local champion.

Ron Chesterton of Satelindo, the official sponsor, said the
company had made a two-year commitment to sponsor the tournament.

"We could indeed follow this with other commitments in the
future. We expect to continue sponsoring golf," he said.

"We don't sponsor the championship on business considerations
only. We want to support Indonesia's potential golfers and
support the growth of young people who will become pros,"
Chesterton said.

Mark Adams of the International Management Group, which is
organizing the event in cooperation with Mercurindo, said that
top players from the United States, Australia and Europe were
expected to compete.

"We're still negotiating on their entries here. We'll probably
announce the confirmed names for the tournament in two weeks," he
said.

Adams said the organizers would provide one-hour video
highlights to TV stations. The programs will be aired soon after
the event.

Last year's tournament, also at Jagorawi, one of the country's
most challenging courses, was won by Edward Fryatt of England who
scored a 13-under-par 271. (yan)