RI golfers to better SEA Games performance
RI golfers to better SEA Games performance
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia struck its worst showing in the Southeast Asian Games ever in Chiang Mai, Thailand last year, an official admitted yesterday.
Taufik Aziz, secretary general of the Indonesian Golf Association said after a hearing with the National Sports Council yesterday that the poor outcome was unanticipated before.
"It was beyond our reach. Our opponents played extra ordinarily well that they left us empty handed," Taufik said.
Host Thailand and the Philippines shared the glory with two golds each.
Only Indonesia's best golfer Sukamdi managed to match his rivals stroke for stroke in the SEA Games. He steadily joined the top four until the third round and was an inch shy of a bronze medal, but lost his spunk in the final battle.
Sukamdi led the Indonesian men's team to take two bronzes home in the 1993 SEA Games in Singapore. Sukamdi also won a gold in the 1991 episode of the biennial event. Golf made its debut in SEA Games in 1989 and in Asian Games in 1994.
Taufik said that both the council and the golf body agreed that the sport would be one of Indonesia's potential medal sources in the 19th SEA Games here next year.
"We are perhaps not bidding for gold medals, but we expect to collect as many medals as possible next year," Taufik said.
The association plans to call up eight male and six female golfers to join the centralized training program for the 1997 Games.
"The problem is some of our players are intended to turn professional," Taufik said, but declined to reveal the names. "We are trying to persuade them to stay with us longer, at least until the SEA Games is over," he said.
Taufik said that many national best golfers come from poor family. "Their intention to raise their standard of living is very understandable. They deserve that, but we beg them not to leave so soon," Taufik said.
Taufik said that the association will also hire a foreign coach to help national golfers improve their standards. "We have to sign a qualified foreign coach at any cost if we mean medals," he said.
The association hired a Philippine coach for the SEA Games last year, but to no avail since he was a part-timer.
The council decided to formally kick off the centralized training program yesterday, although a series of consultative meetings with all sports organizations are getting underway. (amd)