Seven share lead in Tugu Pratama Open
JAKARTA (JP): Seven players share the lead after yesterday's opening round of the Tugu Pratama Golf Championship at the 7,141- yard Bumi Serpong Damai Golf and Country club near here.
Singaporean veteran Madasamy Murugiah might well have finished the day in sole possession of the first place if it had not been for a double bogey on the par-4 15th.
"I hit an atrocious tee shot there," said Murugiah, who came off his driver and watched his ball disappear into the undergrowth.
"The ball was unplayable so I returned to the tee and parred the hole with my second ball," he said.
He birdied the next two holes for a total of eight birdies in his round.
The other six golfers who finished yesterday on 7-under-par 65s are Sweden's Daniel Chopra, Taiwan's Li Wen-sheng, Thailand's Thammrnamoon Sriroj, Mars Pucay of the Philippines, South African Nico van Rensburgh and American Fran Quinn.
Three shots back are four golfers on 68. They are Clay Devers, John Kernohan and Charlie Wi, all from the U.S.A., and South Korean Lee Joon-suk. Thirty-three other players in the fray for the US$250,000 cash prizes managed to break par at the course designed by American golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.
"It's a long course especially in these moist conditions and it is also very challenging," said van Rensburg, who made three birdies and an eagle in his round.
"If you can hit the ball far enough then there is plenty of room on the fairways," added the South African, who reached the 536-yard par-5 in two with a driver and a five iron and holed from 20 feet.
For Murugiah it was another good performance in Indonesia. The 32-year-old has won the tournament twice, most recently in 1994, and also won the ASEAN Indonesian Championship in 1995.
"Indonesia has been good to me over the years. I have had my best wins here," said Murugiah, whose 1994 PGA win was achieved on the same course.
Chopra, a regular player in major events in Indonesia in recent years, who is dubbed the rising star of the European Tour, yesterday however, managed not to drop any shots in his round containing five birdies. The 22-year-old, who finished 36th on this year's European Tour Order of Merit, is a former winner in Asia having won the 1995 Republic of China Open and the 1994 Malaysia PGA.
Maan Naasim, Indonesia's best hope among the 12 local golfers, was among the 33 who broke par. Maan, who has played in the Dunhill Cup, one of the world's most prestigious tournaments, yesterday carded a 1-under par-71 (36-35) with four birdies and three bogeys.
The four-day event is the 19th leg of this year's Omega Tour and is the tour's first ever visit to Indonesia. (rsl)
Selected results: 67 - Marciano Pucay (Phi), Li Wen-sheng (Tai), Thammanoon Sriroj (Tha), Madasamy Murugiah (Sin), Danniel Chopra (Swe), Fran Quinn (USA), Nico van Rensburg (Rsa) 68 - Lee Joon-suk (Kor), Clar Devers (USA), Charlle Wi (USA) 69 - Shin Yong-jin (Kor), Greg Hanflahan (USA), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha), Moo Joong-kyun (Kor), Eric Rustand (USA) 70 - Jerry Smith (USA), Kim Jong-duk (Kor), Jeff Senior (USA), Carlos Espinosa (Mex), Jeef Milka Singh (Ind)