Veteran Jamilah wins West Java women's event

CIMANGGIS, West Java: Jamilah of Banten finished with a one- under par 71 on Thursday to sweep the West Java Ladies Amateur Open Golf Championship by eight strokes.

The 35-year-old veteran carded a 54-hole total of 215 (73-71- 1) to beat 17-year-old Perth based Singaporean Heng Su-Ann (223) and Jakarta's Retno Purwandari (224).

Jamilah said experience taught her to focus on her own game.

"I would always try to do what the other golfers were doing," she was quoted as saying in a release from the tournament organizer. "That was wrong. Being older now, I realize that controlling yourself is most important in golf."

Jamila and Retno, who was part of the historic gold-winning team at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Malaysia, beat the three national squad members who are in training for this year's event in Manila in November.

Like Retno, national team member Juriah also scored 224 but was awarded fourth place on countback, followed by teammates Lidya Ivanna Jaya in sixth and Risti Yurindra Putri in 10th.

"We have to concede that the play of the national team members is still inconsistent," the daily operations chief of the Indonesian Professional Golfing Association, Avie K Utomo, said.

"I hope that their play will improve before they leave for Manila." -- JP