Indonesia Open golf tourney in Jagorawi

Indonesia Open golf tourney in Jagorawi

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Open, the country's oldest men's
professional golf championship, will be staged for the 21st time
from March 13 to March 17 at the Jagorawi GC, Cibinong, West
Java.

Stephen Leaney of Australia, last year's Victorian Open
champion, Gary Webb, winner of the 1993 Indonesia Open held in
Bali and the 1995 Hong Kong Open, and Gary Nickalus, son of golf
legend Jack Nickalus, are among the foreign golfers who have
confirmed their participations in the tournament.

Some 156 golfers from the Asian Tour and Indonesia are
expected to compete on the par 72, 6,275-meter course at the
Jagorawi Golf and Country Club (JGCC), designed by Peter Thomson
and Michael Wolveridge.

The tournament offers US$250,000 in prize money including
$41,000 for the winner. It is the ninth leg of the Asian Tour.
The Tour's 10th leg will be the Rolex Masters 1996, to be held at
Singapore Island Golf and Country Club from March 21 to March 24.

Mercurindo

This year's Indonesia Open will be the first tournament
jointly organized by the Indonesia Golf Association, the
International Management Group and Mercurindo Sports Marketing.

For the last three years it was sponsored by the Sampoerna
Group, one of the country's major cigarette producers.

Secretary-general of the Indonesia Golf Association Taufik
Azis said yesterday that the association has entered into a five-
year agreement with Mercurindo Sports Marketing, a division of PT
Mercurindo Citamurni, and International Management Group to
cooperate in organizing and marketing the tournament.

Mark Adams of the International Management Group commented
yesterday that the Indonesia Open had featured many young players
from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia who then became
future stars in the sport. The 1981 Indonesia Open champion,
Payne Stewart, is an example. He has won two major championships,
the U.S. Open and the U.S. Professional Golf Association
championships.

Adam expressed hope that the Indonesia Open will continue to
produce golf stars of the future.

Zakir, the JGCC manager said that his club has signed a
contract with top New Zealand golfer Frank Nobilo to play under
the banner of the club abroad. (arf)