Safe play expected at JJGF golf tourney

Safe play expected at JJGF golf tourney

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian professional golfers announced on
Monday that they shared a common strategy in their bid to win the
Rp 370 million (US$38,900) sixth Jagorawi Japan Golf Foundation
(JJGF) Open Golf Championships - The Epson Cup, which tees off on
Thursday.

The golfers, defending champion Maan Nasim, Sanusi and Jamel
Ondo, said they would refrain themselves from attacking the
Jagorawi Golf and Country Club's 6,323-meter Old Course in
Kranggan, Cibinong in West Java due to its terrain.

"The course is one of the most difficult terrains in the
country. The organizers have made it even harder with their
demand for pin placement," Maan told a media conference here on
Monday.

"I think Pak Abe should give us more chances with easier pin
placement," he added, referring to JJGF chairman, Takeshi Abe,
who had determined the pin placement personally.

Maan also said he would fight it out to defend the title he
won in 1999 at the initial Epson Cup, which also served as the
second JJGF tournament.

"I will just play it safe and try to make under-par shots," he
said.

The old course is known for its demanding terrain, which has
seen past champions only manage to finish with even par.

Meanwhile, the winner of the fifth JJGF tournament held in
May, Sanusi, said he would pay more attention to his play on the
green.

"The surface of the green on the old course was undulating so
I need to be more careful not to miss the pin this time," he
said.

"Golfers should not play aggressively out there because the
fairways are relatively short with many obstacles."

Talking about his strategy, Jamel said: "I will play a
restrained game but will strike when the opportunity comes."

All three golfers also agreed that they had to be alert to the
par-five first and fifth holes and par-four 18th hole, which are
considered the toughest on the course.

The championships provide the biggest prize money so far
offered by a local organizer, surpassing the amount offered at
the Olympic Golf Club Open at Taman Dayu in Pandaan, East Java in
July by Rp 20 million.

Meanwhile, Abe said JJGF would continue to organize golf
tournaments despite a slow-down in global business and security
concerns resulting from the terrorist attacks on the United
States.

"Let us not worry with such problems. Just concentrate on the
game and enjoy its high standards," he said. (nvn)