RI's lonely star in Asian Matchplay

CIMANGGIS, Bogor (JP): Maan Naasim will be the sole Indonesian golfer in the Volvo Asian Matchplay and Hugo Boss Foursomes championships scheduled from Dec. 19 to Dec. 22 in the scenic Emeralda golf and country club in Cimanggis, Bogor.

Indonesian Golf Association secretary Taufik Azis told reporters at a press conference here yesterday that he opted for Naasim not only because he is one of the country's best golfers but also because he has collected more prize money than any other Indonesian golfer this year.

"This is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Indonesian Professional Golf Association," Azis said.

The US$200,000 international championships, the first of its kind in Indonesia, is to feature 24 top professional golfers from the Asia-Pacific region.

Of the 24, four are top players on the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation's Asian Tour: Thailand's Prayad Marksaeng, winner of this year's Volvo China Open, Scotland's John Wither, winner of this year's China Tour Volvo Ranking, India's Jeev Milkha Singh, winner of this year's Philip Morris Asia Cup and China's Zhang Lian-wei, winner of this year's Malaysian Masters.

American John Kernohan and Swaziland's Paul Friedlander, winners of the two majors of the year on the Omega Tour, will also be competing. Naasim will be the only wild-card entrant in the tournament. Azis, however, is optimistic that Naasim will live up to expectation and perform commendably. "Because this event is matchplay, not strokeplay, I believe every player has the same chance to win," he said.

In matchplay, golfers, pitted in a head-to-head duel, strive to win holes and hence, need not be worried about their scorecard. A sudden-death finish will be applied on the 18th hole should draws occur.

Round one, round two and the quarterfinals will each be played over 18 holes while the semifinals and finals will be decided over 36 holes, all on a knockout system. Those who are eliminated after each round will move into a pairs competition to which a knockout format also applies.

A pro-am competition on Dec. 18 will precede the matchplay championships. Of the two courses at the Emeralda golf and country club, the one designed by Arnold Palmer will be used. Par is 72 on the 7,082-yard course. The other, nearby, course designed by Jack Nicklaus, has only nine holes. (arf)