Tering Bay Open tees off today

BATAM ISLAND, Riau (JP): About 140 professional and amateur golfers from both host Indonesia and neighboring southeast Asian countries are expected to take part in the Tering Bay Open Golf Championships which tees off here today.

The four-day tournament, which offers total cash prizes of US$50,0000 (Rp 175 million), is being played at the Tering Bay Golf and Country Club, designed by world golfing great Greg Norman of Australia.

"We organized the event as our contribution to help develop the sport in the region and especially in Indonesia," said Warban, assistant to the club's general manager.

"The tournament, which we plan to hold every year, has already been included in the Indonesia Golf Association's calender of events," he said.

The country's top-ranked golfer, Kasiadi from Surabaya's Yani Golf Club, Maan Naasim and Ilyasaak will lead the local challengers. Their main rivals will be leading Singaporean player M Murugiah, V Arumugan from Malaysia and Arjin Sophon of Thailand.

Favorite Kasiadi has been drawn to play with P Gunasaran from Malaysia and Alex Junaedi from Jagorawi Golf Club. They tee off at 12.20 p.m. today. Scheduled to start at the same, but in another group, are Johny Wong from Malaysia, Patrick Young from Taman Dayu Golf Club, in Pandaan, East Java, and Singapore's Murugiah.

The complex, which includes a sprawling real estate development, was taken over earlier this year by PT Sumatra Timber Utama Damai (STUD). The company plans to establish a fitness center, tennis courts, marina and swimming pool on the site.

In the pro-am tournament scheduled to be played on Saturday to mark the closing of the four-day event, senior Indonesian Golf Association official Mohammad "Bob" Hasan and Budi Widodo, the owner and president director of STUD, are scheduled to play.

"The course is fine and ready for the tournament," chief referee Rudy Lisapally said. Rudy, Indonesia's senior referee, graduated from a course run at St Andrews in Scotland. (rsl)