Pro golf tourney due next week

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Golf Champion Association will stage the third leg of the Indonesian Pro Golfer Close Tournament at the Pondok Indah golf and country club from June 10 to June 13.

Forty golfers -- 24 from the previous legs, 11 from the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games training squad and five new players -- will compete in the Rp 75,000,00 (US$31,250) event designed especially for local golfers.

Sixteen golfers who did not move to the third leg have three months to improve their scores before competing in the tournament again.

The association's chairman, Zakir, who also owns the Jagorawi golf and country club, said yesterday that despite what critics said the tournament would go on to create a new champion.

"We thank the critics but we have to move on with the tournament because it's the way to find a champion," he said.

Only players with handicap of 10 or less can compete.

Zakir said that golfers in the national squad were all amateurs.

"Their participation is to create a competitive situation among participants. For real pro golfers, they have to fight real hard to win the prize money. For the SEA Games athletes or amateur, money is not their main goal," he said.

The association invited 150 golf clubs throughout the country but got little response.

The next leg will be at the Pondok Cabe golf and country club or the Lippo Cikarang golf and country club. (yan)