Kasiyadi return to form with win

JAKARTA (JP): Kasiyadi, who has been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career, put together a third consecutive solid round to sew up the Jakarta Golf Circuit championship yesterday.

Kasiyadi shot an even par-72 to close at 2-over 290 (76,69,73,72) to tame the unforgiving Halim II layout.

Four strokes off the pace were Kasiyadi's elder brother, Buari, and cagey veteran Sumarno.

It was a case of too little too late for the stocky Buari who carded a sensational final round 68.

Continuous strong gusts of wind blowing across the airforce layout in East Jakarta prevented the tournament's 23 pros from breaking par, third-place finisher Maan Naasim said.

While Kasiyadi's fine showing evoked memories of his 1989 Indonesia Open title-winning run, it also highlighted the unfulfilled promise of Indonesian golfers in international competitions.

Inconsistent practicing and overly emotional putting and driving have contributed to the undoing of the country's top pro golfers, a top official said.

"Knowing they play poorly in big events, many of our golfers ignore the results and choose rest over playing a practice round," said Indonesian Pro Golfers Association (PGPI) chief Widarsadipradja yesterday.

He cited Kasiyadi's failure to follow-up his 1989 Open triumph as an example.

More recently, Ilyas Syak saw his hopes in the 1994 Indonesia Open fade away as he chose to drive a shot rather than two-on and wound up with a double bogey at a critical stage in the final round.

In yesterday's amateur event, Sanusi of the Jakarta Golf Club was the surprise winner at 294 (72,73,78,71), ahead of Medan- based favorite Sukamdi.

Sukamdi, who has represented the country in numerous international events, carded a 1-under 71 yesterday for a 295 (76,74,74,71). Burhan took third at 298 (74,75,72,77). (rsl).