Leading golfers to tee off in Bali
Leading golfers to tee off in Bali
JAKARTA (JP): Leading Australian golfers Todd Hamilton and Lucas Parsons are expected to lead a pack of foreign golfers at the Sempati Bali Open, slated to tee off at Bali Golf and Country Club on March 22.
Hamilton, winner of the Asian Tour 1995 opener in the Thailand Open earlier this month, and Parsons, runner-up at the Australian Masters last week, have confirmed their entry for the US$250,000 event, the eighth leg of this year's Asian Tour's 15-leg.
"Some forty foreign players will grace the par-72 layout in Bali, many of them those who will take part in the Indonesia Open one week earlier at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course," said Permadi of PT Sempati Air.
He said golf enthusiasts who wish to watch the prestigious event and play in the pro-am tournament on Sunday March 26 may join the group at a price of US$395 per golfer. "The price includes the Jakarta-Bali-Jakarta airfare and three-days/two- nights accommodation at a five-star hotel."
The Indonesia Open and the Sempati Bali Open are two of three major international events sanctioned by the Indonesia Golf Association (PGI). The Tugu Pratama PGA, slated for Nov. 9 to 12 to be staged at the Damai Indah G&CC, is the third part of the event called Golf Indonesia 1995. They were included in this year's Asian Tour. Each of the three events offer a handsome cash prize of $250,000.
More than $3 million will be at stake for this year's Asian Tour, with total prizes at the Dunlop Open outstaking all with $1 million.
This year will also see the inauguration of the ASEAN Golf Tour which offers a minimum of $40,000 in each event. Since the Tour is to encourage local professionals to travel to tournaments outside their countries, accommodation will be provided for the players.
Jakarta will host the two ASEAN Tours in August, the first is slated for Aug 2 -5 and the second will be on Aug. 9 -12.
"PGI has yet to decide which of the golf courses to host the events," PGI secretary Taufik Aziz said (rsl).