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)