Top golfers share lead in Olympic golf
JAKARTA (JP): Three golfers shared the leader position at the end of the opening day of the second Olympic Golf Championships (Olympic Open 2000) at the Rancamaya golf course in Bogor on Tuesday.
Ilyasak, an Aceh-born professional golfer, made four birdies and one bogey to finish three-under par 69 at the championships, which offer Rp 250 million (US$27,000) in prize money.
Starting the flight together with Daisuke Tsuchiyama of Japan and Lie Lin Fu of China Taipei, Ilyasak convincingly tamed the course, which was designed by Ted Robinson.
Compatriot Maan Nasim, who has topped Indonesia's professional golf rankings since 1997, also shot four birdies and a bogey to make three-under par 69 along with Malaysian Danny Chia.
Maan, who since 1997 has always topped the Indonesian pro golf rankings, survived in the first nine by not making any bogeys and he even carded three birdies. Unfortunately, in the back nine, Maan produced a bogey in the par-3 hole 12 although he managed to create another birdie earlier.
Wang Ter Chiang of China Taipei performed outstandingly in the first nine by producing three birdies. But in the second nine, he mistakenly created two bogeys but in the end closed the day with a birdie. Finally Wang, whose experience helped him in the event, carded two-under par 70 to finish second.
An excellent performance by amateur Indra Hermawan saw him successfully fire one-under par 71 to finish third together with Malaysian P. Gunasagaran and Indonesian Sanusi.
Indra, who joins the Indonesian Golf Association (PGI) long- term training program, played with the full confidence of being the only amateur and finished under par.
He swung at the ball with his iron-6 from the teebox, passing a huge tree on the fairway, close to the valley, but suddenly the ball went to the green and landed about one meter from the pin. Unfortunately, Indra needed to putt twice to par.
Indra made two bogeys in hole 5 and hole 16 but he managed to cover them with three birdies.
"My putting was not really good today. I had to putt twice in several holes when I should have done it once. Moreover, the distance was only about one meter," he said with a smile. (ivy/yan)
Results (Indonesian unless stated, a-denotes amateur): 69 - Ilyasak, Maan Nasim, Danny Chia (Mal) 70 - Wang Ter Chiang (Tpe) 71 - P Gunasagaran (Mal), Sanusi, a-Indra Hermawan 73 - Stephen Atako-Lindskog (Swe) 74 - Shaifubahri Muda, M Rashid Ismail (Mal), Buari, Patrick Young 75 - Burhan Bora, Putu Dipta, Gimin Suwiryo, Sudihartono, a-Ketut Sugiartha, Asep Caprie, M Sura