Olympic Open offers increased prize money of Rp 350 million

JAKARTA (JP): The Bogor-based Olympic Golf Club is offering Rp 350 million (US$35,000) in prize money at its third Olympic Open to be staged at the Taman Dayu Club golf course in Pandaan, East Java.

"The prize money is Rp 100 million higher than the prize money offered in 2000's event. This is a way to encourage our golfers to give better performances," tournament coordinator Avie K. Utomo said on Thursday.

"We hope that an Indonesian will be able to take this year's title. In 1999, Nigerian-born Swede Stephen Atako Lindskog took the title and Wang Ter-chiang of Chinese Taipei won in 2000."

There will be 64 golfers and 16 invitees playing in the tournament from July 31 until Aug. 3. Twenty-one of the 64 golfers became eligible to play after passing through a qualifying school in February.

Avie was speaking at a press conference in the Rawamangun Jakarta Golf Club, East Jakarta. Also present at the conference were chairman of the Indonesian Golf Association (PGI) Soedomo, chairman of the Indonesian Professional Golf Association (PGPI) Widarsadipradja, PGI's secretary general Kusnan Ismukanto, PGPI's secretary-general Oong Wiradinata and the general manager of Taman Dayu Club, Hausman T. Babu.

"We chose Taman Dayu because we want to promote golf courses outside Jakarta. The event in 1999 took place at Gunung Geulis while last year's event was in Rancamaya," said Avie.

The 18-hole, 6,514-meter par-72 Taman Dayu golf course is located in the Welirang hills and has a Through the Green difficulty level. Plentiful bunkers, lateral water hazards, contoured fairways and roughs between the tee box and the green await the participants. Another feature of the course is the unpredictable greens.

"The course was especially designed as a championship golf course by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus," said Hausman.

There are also two other tournaments being staged in conjunction with the Olympic Open. The amateur on-handicap tournament will take place on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 while the Pro-Am tournament is slated for Aug.4.

In a separate development, the PGI has stated that it is aiming for one gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur 2001 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games out of the four medals at stake.

"We will take the gold medal in the women's team event," PGI's executive director Haryanto Danutirto told reporters. (nvn)