Maan, Kasiadi to lock horns at Matoa golf

JAKARTA (JP): Professional golfers Maan Nasim and Kasiadi top the list of competitors at the Matoa Nasional Open championship which tees off here on Tuesday.

The annual tournament held at Matoa Golf and Country Club in Ciganjur, South Jakarta, boasts no less than 80 professional and amateur local golfers who will vie for shares of a purse worth Rp 92 million (US$12,400). The winner will earn Rp 25 million.

Nia Sarinastiti of the Andersen Consulting marketing and communications company which helped to organize the event, said on Monday that professional golfers have been allowed to enter this year because no other tournaments have been staged due to the economic crisis.

The US$300,000 Tugu Pratama PGA Championship in November 1997 was the last major tournament held here.

Maan from the Sawangan Golf Club will be seeking to defend his title at the five-day tournament. His stiffest opposition will come in the form of Kasiadi, who learned his craft at the Yani Golf Club in Surabaya.

Maan was unchallenged in the Matoa event last year and lead from start to finish. Kasiadi, the 1989 Indonesia Open champion and the country's richest golfer, managed only third place.

Both Maan and Kasiadi entered five of 10 legs on the Asia Omega Tour last year thanks to sponsorship provided by telecommunications company PT Satelindo. The protracted economic crisis has prevented the company from sponsoring the pair again this year. (yan)