Thursday, March 31, 2011

Sjaichudin Again Named Big Ten Co-Golfer Of The Week

PARK RIDGE, Ill. - Days after capturing his second individual medal in as many outings, Purdue junior William Sjaichudin was named Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week on Wednesday in an announcement by the league office.

The Jakarta, Indonesia, native shot 66-70=166 (-8) to win the Butler Spring Invitational by six strokes and lead the Boilermakers to their third team title of the campaign.

The award, which he shared with Ohio State's Brad Smith, is the second in a row for Sjaichudin.

The six-under 66 that Sjaichudin posted in the first round ranked as the second-best round of his Purdue career. In addition to being his second collegiate victory, the performance was also just Sjaichudin's third top-five finish in a collegiate event.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Stolz Steals Hie’s Thunder In Indonesia PGA Championship

Jakarta, 27 March 2011 – Australian Andre Stolz, who came out of retirement just two years ago, recorded an emotional triumph in the US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship today.

The 40 year old fired a final round four-under-par 68 for a winning total of 14-under-par 274.

Overnight leader Rory Hie from Indonesia carded a 72 to finish alone in second place one shot behind Stolz at Imperial Klub Golf.

New Zealander Gareth Paddison and Park Eun-shin from Korea finished one stroke further back in the season-opening event on OneAsia.

Local fans were disappointed that 22-year-old Hie was unable to close the deal but they were delighted to see Stolz win after having a torrid time in recent years.

Stolz was one of his country’s finest players before a wrist problem had a profound effect on his career.
He has won one title on each the US PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour, and Japan Tour plus tasted victory four times on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

However, in 2005 a nagging wrist injury caused by wear and tear forced him into retirement for nearly three years. He gradually started to play again and rejoined the Tour in Australia in 2008.

In 2009 he won the Victorian PGA Championship but his win this week, worth a cool US$180,000, emphatically announced his return to the top flight.

“A couple of years ago I thought I would never play again and now I am standing here with a trophy for a US$1million event. It will take some time to sink in,” said Stolz, whose wife Cathy was caddying for him.

Stolz won the 2004 Michelin Championship in Las Vegas on the US PGA Tour and more victories were expected to come until his injury.

“I had to completely remodel swing. The second half of last year I started to play really well and this week I played great but the putter was misbehaving,” added the Australian, who turned professional in 1992.

His putting came good at the correct time though when he rammed in a 35 foot birdie putt on 17 and holed an eight footer for birdie on the last.

Hie, playing in the final pairing behind Stolz, also birdied the last two holes but he lost his chance of winning when he bogeyed the 10th, double bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed the 12th.

“I really thought this was going to be my week. I had prepared so hard. However, I am proud of the way I finished the round and this final day has been a great learning experience,” said Hie, who won US$102,000.

He was helped by the fact that he knows the course like the back of his hand. He claimed The International Championship at Imperial in 2008 on the ASEAN PGA Tour just months after turning professional.

Hie played for the University of Southern California and at one point was ranked sixth best amateur in the world. The talented golfer attended college for two years and then opted to leave prematurely as he felt he was ready for the professional game.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant finished fifth after shooting a 70. He thrilled the crowds by holing his second shot for an eagle on the 17th.

China’s Liang Wenchong, the reigning OneAsia Order of Merit champion, ended in a tie for 28th place after closing with a 76.

The next event on OneAsia is the Volvo China Open at Luxehills International Country Club from April 21 to 24.

Leading final round scores:

(Par 72)

274 - Andre Stolz (AUS) 67-70-69-68

275 - Rory Hie (INA) 68-68-67-72

276 - Gareth Paddison (NZL) 72-67-69-68, Park Eun-Shin (KOR) 69-71-66-70

277 - Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-70-66-70

278 - Paul Sheehan (AUS) 69-69-70-70, Matthew Millar (AUS) 63-70-71-74

279 - Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 71-69-71-68, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 72-69-68-70

280 - Wu Ashun (CHN) 69-67-74-70

281 - Leigh Mckechnie (AUS) 69-70-74-68, Heath Reed (AUS) 69-68-75-69, Hong Soon-Sang (KOR) 68-69-74-70, Ryu Hyun-Woo (KOR) 71-71-69-70, Michael Hendry (NZL) 70-70-70-71, Ted Oh (KOR) 72-69-69-71

Selected:

287 - Ilyassyak (INA) 72-71-69-75

289 - I Nengah Dharma (INA) 73-70-73-73

290 - Maan Nasim (INA) 69-74-77-70

291 - Bora Burhan (INA) 69-70-78-74

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Hie Roars Into Lead In Indonesia PGA Championship

Jakarta, 26 March 2011 – Indonesia’s Rory Hie, carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations on his young shoulders, took the third round lead in the US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship today.

The former US college star fired a third round five-under-par 67 for a three-round aggregate of 13-under-par 203 at Imperial Klub Golf, just outside Jakarta.

Australian Mathew Millar, the first and second round leader, carded a 71 and is in second place one stroke behind. He did well to stay in contention as he was suffering from a fever and headaches which started last night.

In what is threatening to be a landmark week for golf in Indonesia a pumped up Hie nailed seven birdies to charge into the lead. A double bogey on the 13th saw him fall one shot behind Millar but then the Australian finished badly with bogeys on 14 and 18.

The 22 year old is being helped by the fact that he knows the course like the back of his hand. He claimed The International Championship at Imperial in 2008 on the ASEAN PGA Tour just months after turning professional.

He earned a cheque for US$8,126 on that occasion but first place this week is worth a juicy US$180,000.

Victory tomorrow would be far away and the biggest achievement by an Indonesian in the game of golf.

Kasiadi, the former caddie from Surabaya, triumphed in the 1989 Indonesia Open, and the country’s top amateurs have a fine record in the Southeast Asian Amateur Team Championship for the Putra Cup but nothing would come close to a Hie victory this week.

“This has been a really special week. The crowds have been fantastic. I am feeling very calm and focusing on breathing exercises between shots. I have prepared really well for this tournament and it has paid off. I am playing aggressive golf and plan to do the same tomorrow,” said Hie, whose father Tommy is caddying for him.

Hie played for the University of Southern California and at one point was ranked sixth best amateur in the world. The talented golfer attended college for two years and then opted to leave prematurely as he felt he was ready for the professional game.

Despite winning in 2008 he found life as a professional very difficult. He was dogged by injuries including problems with right leg and also got an eye irritation. Such problems are now well and truly in the past.

Millar, aged 34, had a two shot lead at the start of the day.

“My game was not too good today. I didn’t have a good rhythm. I was down with a fever and I had a really low energy level. I’m feeling better now but I’m still tired and aching all over. It affected my game.

Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. My game plan is to do what I’ve been doing for the past two days, hit more fairways in regulation… and make more putts,” said Millar.

Andre Stolz from Australia and Korean Park Eun-shin are joint third two shots off the lead. They returned rounds of 69 and 66 respectively.

Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, winner of the Indonesia Open in 2005, stormed into contention with a 66 and is four back for Hie.

China’s Liang Wenchong, winner of last year’s OneAsia Order of Merit, carded a 71 and is five adrift of top spot.

Leading third round scores:

(Par 72)

203 – Rory Hie (INA) 68-68-67

204 – Matthew Millar (AUS) 63-70-71

206 – Park Eun-shin (KOR) 69-71-66, Andre Stolz (AUS) 67-70-69

207 – Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-70-66

208 – Peter Wilson (AUS) 69-71-68, Chris Campbell (AUS) 67-72-69, Gareth Paddison (NZL) 72-67-69, Paul Sheehan (AUS) 69-69-70, Liang Wenchong (CHN) 70-67-71

209 – Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 72-69-68, Kang Kyung-nam (KOR) 71-68-70

210 – Ted Oh (KOR) 72-69-69, Peter O’Malley (AUS) 73-68-69, Michael Hendry (NZL) 70-70-70, Stephen Leaney (AUS) 70-69-71, Alistair Presnell (AUS) 71-67-72, Wu Ashun (CHN) 69-67-74, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 66-69-75

Selected:

211 – Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 71-69-71

212 - Ilyassyak (INA) 72-71-69

216 - I Nengah Dharma (INA) 73-70-73

217 - Bora Burhan (INA) 69-70-78

220 - Maan Nasim (INA) 69-74-77

Millar Marches On As Local Hero Hie Makes Move In Indonesia PGA Championship

Jakarta, 25 March 2011 – Matthew Millar admirably handled the pressure of having to shoot a solid round the day after firing a scintillatingly low score to maintain his lead in the US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship.

The Australian fired a two-under-par 70 at Imperial Klub Golf for a two round total of 11-under-par 133.

He leads by two shots from compatriot Matthew Griffin, who came in with a 69.

Millar shot a course record 63, which featured 10 birdies, on the first day in what is OneAsia’s season opening tournament.

Said Millar: “It was alright but I did not play that well today to be honest. I had some loose shots here and there. For some reason it is very hard to follow a really low round with another one. You’d think you would be able to follow up by shooting at least three under but I am not disappointed with two under. I holed some good putts again.”

The 34 year old made four birdies and two bogeys to put himself in a great position to produce his finest tournament performance since turning professional in 2002.

“It is in the front of my mind to try and win all the time. I have won many one, two and three day events but never a four round tournament. I have come very close with seconds, thirds, and fourths. It would be great to finally get the monkey off the back,” he added.

Griffin is also looking for his first win as a professional.

“I gave myself a heap of chances and should have finished a lot lower. I am really disappointed to finish bogey, bogey. I three putted eight and on nine I hit in the water off the tee,” said Griffin.

The Australian, who turned professional in 2008 finished second in the Victorian Open this year which was first event of the season in Australia.

One of the highlights of the week so far has been the performance of young Indonesian Rory Hie. He is in joint third place with China’s Wu Ashun.

Hie, aged 22, fired his second 68 on a course where he won his first title as a professional The International Championship on the ASEAN PGA Tour in 2008. He is three strokes behind Millar.

“I always have good vibes coming here. I also finished second here last year in a local event when I shot 12 under and I shot 10 under when I won here. The rough is a little bit higher and the greens a bit faster this week. I am feeling very comfortable and feel like I know the course better than anyone out there. I have prepared very well for this event. I think it is the best I have prepared for any event,” said Hie, who played college golf for the University of Southern California.

After struggling to find his feet as a member of the paid ranks he is slowly starting to put the results together.

“I am playing well this year and have finished under par in the events I have played in. When I turned pro I had it too easy for me. I have had to build my character over the last few years and realise that this is my job and I have to be professional. I didn’t realise that and I have worked and worked on it. It is coming together now. It has required a whole life style change,” added Hie.

Wu is another youngster impressing this week after returning a 67.

The 25 year old said: “I am satisfied with my game today. I play pretty well these two days, but it could have been better if not for the two bogies that I made - that were bad judgement. OneAsia is very supportive of Chinese players and it is a stage that allows us to play with better players. It is good exposure for players from China.”

His illustrious compatriot Liang Wenchong, the pre tournament favourite who won the OneAsia Order of Merit last year with two victories, shot a 67 to sit on the shoulder of the leader four shots back.

“OneAsia’s tournament season starting in March meant I could I take a break. Being well rested gave me time to fine tune my routine and improve my game. I am really focused right now ,” said Liang, whose brother Liang Wenjian is caddying for him.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Leading second round scores:

(Par 72)

133 – Matthew Millar (AUS) 63-70

135 – Matthew Griffin (AUS) 66-69

136 – Rory Hie (INA) 68-68, Wu Ashun (CHN) 69-67

137 – Liang Wenchong (CHN) 70-67, Hong Soon-sang (KOR) 68-69, Heath Reed (AUS) 69-68, Andre Stolz (AUS) 67-70

138 – Rohan Blizard (AUS) 69-69, Paul Sheehan (AUS) 69-69, Lee Tae-hee (KOR) 70-68, Hiroshi Iwata (JPN) 67-71, Alistair Presnell (AUS) 71-67, Michael Long (AUS) 68-70

Selected:

139 – Nicholas Fung (MAS) 70-69, Stephen Leaney (AUS) 70-69, Bora Burhan (INA) 69-70

140 – Bae Sang-moon (KOR) 71-69, Michael Hendry (NZL) 70-70

141 – Peter O’Malley (AUS) 73-68, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 71-70

143 - I Nengah Dharma (INA) 73-70, Ilyassyak (INA) 72-71, Maan Nasim (INA) 69-74

Missed the cut (144/Par):

146 - Denny A Wijaya (INA) 71-75

147 - Andik Mauludin (INA) 73-74, Sarmilih KZ (INA) 75-72

148 - Benny Kasiadi (INA) 74-74

149 - Ramadhan Alwie (INA) 74-75

150 - Sandro Bernard (INA) 74-76

151 - Hamzah Rachmadi (INA) 72-79, Abrahamsyah (INA) 73-78

152 - A Suganda (INA) 79-73, Sanusi (INA) 76-76, Junaidi Ibrahim (INA) 75-77, Gunawan (INA) 78-74, Zulharmen Tabusalla (INA) 80-72

153 - Jamel (INA) 78-75, Nasin Surachman 76-77, Effendi K (INA) 78-75

154 - Henry Nasim (INA) 75-79, Khamid MH (INA) 76-78, Asep Caprie (INA) 79-75, Hardjito (INA) 76-78, Ade Sebul (INA) 77-77

155 - Indra Hermawan (INA) 77-78

156 - Dede Idris (INA) 79-77

160 - Randy Mawuntu (INA) 81-79

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Magic Round For Millar In Indonesia PGA Championship

Jakarta, 24 March 2011 – Australian Matthew Millar shot the round of his life today to take the lead in the Indonesia PGA Championship.

He broke the course record with a nine-under-par 63 and at one stage looked like he could break the 60 barrier.

His compatriot Matthew Griffin finished in second place with a 66 at Imperial Klub Golf, just outside Jakarta.

The US$1 million tournament is the season opening event on OneAsia, which boasts 13 events this year.

Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata, and Australians Andre Stolz and Chris Campbell shot 67s.

“I am very, very happy with that. Played really well up until the last hole where I had a complete misunderstanding with my caddie which was my fault. I took the wrong club and the wrong line. I was lucky not to go into the water and was pleased to make par,” said the 34 year old.

He bombarded the golf course with 10 birdies including six in a row from the sixth.

At 10 under after 14 a 59 was looking very possible but he made his only bogey of the day on the 15th.

He added: “I have been playing pretty well recently but the last couple of days I wouldn’t say it was really on or anything. I have never shot 10 under before and on the last three or four holes that definitely got in the way a little bit. You are not really supposed to think about your score but I had it to 10 under and the pressure was on. I have shot nine under probably a dozen times now. It is a bit disappointing not to get to 10.”

Millar turned professional in 2002 and played on The European Tour for four years starting in 2006.

He is still looking for his first win as a professional but has come close several times including a joint fifth place finish in the 2005 Indonesia Open.

Griffin, ranked the number three amateur in the world before turning professional in 2008, also toured the front nine in six-under-par 30 with four birdies and an eagle on the ninth.

The tournament’s star players all made steady starts. China’s Liang Wenchong, who won twice last year on his way to winning the OneAsia Order of Merit, fired a 70.

Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng and Michael Hendry from New Zealand, winner of last year’s Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta, also carded 70s.

Thaworn Wiratchant from Thailand, Australian Kim Felton and Korea’s Bae Sang-moon returned 71s.

Korean star Kim Dae-hyun was the only top player to struggle and surprisingly came in with a 78.

Rory Hie ended the day as the leading Indonesian. He shot a 68 on the course where he won The International Championship on the ASEAN PGA Tour in 2008.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Leading first round scores:

(Par 72)

63 – Matthew Millar (AUS)

66 – Matthew Griffin (AUS)

67 – Andre Stolz (AUS), Chris Campbell (AUS), Hiroshi Iwata (JPN)

68 – Rory Hie (INA), Kim Hyung-woo (AUS), Michael Long (NZL), Peter Fowler (AUS),Anthony Summers (AUS), Lee Kyoung-hoon (KOR), Son Joon-eob (KOR)

69 – Heath Reed (AUS), Maan Nasim (INA), Peter Wilson (AUS), Steve Jeffress (AUS), Leigh McKechnie (AUS), David Oh (US), Burhan Bora (INA), Paul Sheehan (AUS), Rohan Blizard (AUS), Ryan Haller (AUS), Wu Asun (CHN)

Selected:

70 – Michael Hendry (NZL), Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Nicholas Fung (MAS), Stephen Leaney (AUS), Liang Wenchong (CHN)

71 – Thaworn Wiratchant (THA), Kim Felton (AUS), Bae Sang-moon (KOR), Denny Wijaya (INA)

72 – Wayne Grady (AUS), Ilyassyak (INA), Hamzah Rahmadi (INA)

73 - Abrahamsyah (INA), I Nengah Dharma (INA), Andik Mauludin (INA)

74 - Ramadhan Alwie (INA), Benny Kasiadi (INA), Sandro Bernard (INA)

75 - Junaidi Ibrahim (INA), Sarmilih KZ (INA)

76 - Khamid MH (INA), Hardjito (INA), Nasin Surachman (INA), Sanusi (INA)

77 - Indra Hermawan (INA), Ade Sebul (INA)

78 - Gunawan (INA), Jamel (INA) Effendi K (INA)

79 - Asep Caprie (INA), A Suganda (INA), Dede Idris (INA)

80 - Chaerul Chan (INA), Zulharmen Tabusalla (INA)

81 - Randy Mawuntu (INA)

Golf-Southeast Asia Tour Enjoys Expansion, More Prize Money

An increase in both prize money and events represents a major growth in the development of the ASEAN PGA Tour, the executive chairman of the Southeast Asian regional circuit said on Thursday.

The tour, entering its fifth season in May, will add six new tournaments to its schedule - four in Indonesia and two in Malaysia - and boost its overall winnings to $685,000, an increase of more than $100,000 on the previous year.

"Since launching the ASEAN PGA in September 2007, we have been in the fortunate position to announce a strong schedule each year," tour executive chairman A.C. Wong said in a statement.

"The arrival of six new tournaments this year is a reflection of the interest and confidence that exists in the ASEAN PGA," he said, adding that the expansion of the tour will benefit young professional golfers in Southeast Asia.

The top seven players on the nine-event circuit will qualify for November's lucrative Singapore Open, co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours, while the top 10 on the Order of Merit will be eligible to join the OneAsia Tour.

Two of the new Indonesian tournaments will be held on the scenic islands of Bali and Lombok, while the venues for the other four have yet to be confirmed.

Liang Aims To Start On Winning Note In Indonesia PGA Championship


Jakarta, 23 March 2011 – China’s Liang Wenchong begins the new season on OneAsia this week at the Indonesia PGA Championship determined to lay a ghost to rest.

The Chinese star always plays to win and he has shown that by tasting victory three times on OneAsia. He also claimed last year’s Order of Merit title with winnings of US$560,736.

However, when he was in Jakarta last year despite being the hot favourite to win the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta he was relegated to second place by Michael Hendry from New Zealand.

“I was one shot behind him after three rounds and was confident I could catch up on the last day but he played brilliantly and beat me by seven shots. It was quite a shock and now that I am back in Jakarta I would like to make up for that by winning,” said Liang.

The 32-year-old claimed the Midea China Classic in 2009, and last year triumphed in the Luxehills Chengdu Open and the Thailand Open.

The season opening US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship is being played at Imperial Klub Golf just outside Jakarta and Liang is raring to get started.

“I had pretty decent practice rounds. I am glad to be back here in Jakarta – the weather is good and the course is great. I am happy to be here as it is OneAsia’s season opening tournament, and I hope to have a perfect start. Being OneAsia’s Order of Merit winner, I hope to inspire more young golfers in China to participate and perform well in OneAsia’s tournaments so as not to disappoint all the people who have helped build up the golf industry in China,” said Liang.

He plans to play as many events possible on this year’s OneAsia schedule which boasts 13 tournaments which all boast prize money of over US$1 million.

“This is definitely the strongest field that OneAsia has had. There are some incredibly good players especially from Korea,” added Liang.

Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, the two young Koreans who many expect to rocket to stardom are competing. Bae has claimed two titles on OneAsia winning the Korean Open in 2009 and last year’s SK Telecom Open. Kim triumphed in the 2010 GS Caltex Maekyung Open and was also was runner-up to Liang on the Order of Merit.

This week provides them both with an opportunity to show they can win away from home.

“We need more experience playing overseas and we have come here to prove we can also win outside of Korea. We are really excited to be here and it would be great to see a Korean winner,” said Bae.

Australia’s Scott Strange, a two-time winner on the European Tour including the OneAsia joint-sanctioned Volvo China Open in 2009, and also OneAsia's 2009 Order of Merit winner, is also playing as is countryman Kim Felton and Hendry.

Thailand greats Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng, who have amassed a total of 21 titles between them in the region, are also in the field.

Thaworn, like Liang a former Asian number one, has won 12 times on the Asian circuit and Prayad has a combined nine titles on the Asian and Japan Tours.

Amongst the other notables in the line-up are Major champion Wayne Grady of Australia, winner of the 1990 US PGA Championship, and teen prodigy Han Chang-won of Korea, the 2009 Asian Amateur champion who will make his eagerly awaited professional tournament debut. Han was victorious in this year’s OneAsia qualifying school.

Liang will play with Bae and Grady while Kim has been paired with Hendry and Thaworn.

As a mark of respect for the recent tragedy in Japan, the players will be wearing black ribbons.

Four Japanese players are competing Takuya Taniguchi, Akio Sadakata, Tomokazu Yoshinaga, and Hiroshi Iwata.

Imperial Klub Golf is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Jakarta Golf Club To Hold Charity Event To Help Japan

The Jakarta Golf Club (JGC) is set to host a fundraising event as part of efforts to show solidarity with victims of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The one-day event “Golf Gathering, Solidarity for Japan,” is slated for April 3 at the Rawamangun golf course in East Jakarta.

Jakarta Golf Club chairman Harjono Kartohadiprodjo said that the charity event is expected to collect around Rp 300 million (US$34,000) for the quake victims.

“We want to pay back for what the Japanese, be they individuals or institutions, have done when they quickly gave aid to Indonesia during the tsunami in Aceh,” Harjono said.

Once the funds are ready, JGC would have them delivered to the Three Hundred Golf Club, the club’s sister organization based in Tokyo.

Harjono said ambassadors from neighboring countries already expressed interest in participating in the event, including ambassadors from China, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, New Zealand and Portugal.

Besides foreign emissaries, some members of other golf clubs in the city, including the Aron Golf Club and Japan alumni associations, will also join the event. The JGC, founded in 1872, is the oldest golf club in Jakarta and has around 3,000 members.

The one-day event will start with breakfast at 6 a.m. and will be followed by tee-off an hour later.

Sjaichudin Named Big Ten Co-Golfer Of The Week

March 23, 2011

PARK RIDGE, Ill. - Days after capturing the first individual medal of his collegiate career, Purdue junior William Sjaichudin was named Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week on Wednesday in an announcement by the league office.

The Jakarta, Indonesia, native shot 65-69-72=206 (-10) over the weekend to win the Furman Intercollegiate by a stroke and lead the Boilermakers to a tie for seventh at the 22-team event.

The award, which he shared with Illinois' Chris DeForest, is the first of Sjaichudin's career.

Sjaichudin's total of 206 tied for the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history, while his career-best 65 (-7) in the opening round tied for the fourth-best single-round effort on the school chart.

The three-under 69 that Sjaichudin posted in the third round at the Furman Intercollegiate ranked as the third-best round of his Purdue career. In addition to being his first collegiate victory, the performance was also just Sjaichudin's second top-five finish in a collegiate event.

Sjaichudin has played in 11 rounds this season, posting a 74.18 scoring average. He has carded four rounds at par or better, including each of the three last weekend.

Purdue will be in action again on Monday and Tuesday at the Butler Spring Invitational in Avon, Ind.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Indonesian Stars Count On Home Advantage In Indonesia PGA Championship


Jakarta, 22 March 2011 – Indonesia’s top two ranked golfers Andik Mauludin and Rory Hie lead a strong local contingent in this week’s US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship.

A total of 30 Indonesians will tee off when the tournament starts this Thursday at Imperial Klub Golf in Karawachi, situated just outside of Jakarta.

It is the season opening tournament on OneAsia, which boasts 13 events this year including the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta in July.

An outstanding field has assembled including China’s Liang Wenchong, who has won a record three events on OneAsia and topped the Order of Merit in 2010 with US$560,736 in earnings.

Thailand greats Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng, who have won a total of 21 titles between them in the region, are also competing.

Australia’s Scott Strange, a two-time winner on The European Tour including the OneAsia joint-sanctioned Volvo China Open in 2009, is joined by countryman Kim Felton, New Zealander Michael Hendry and the highly rated Korean duo of Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, who all tasted victory on OneAsia last season. Hendry claimed the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta.

This week’s tournament offers a wonderful opportunity for Indonesia’s golfers to experience playing at the top level while also get a chance to earn a lucrative pay cheque.

Andik claimed the Order of Merit title on the local PGPI Tour last year with two victories. Hie finished in second place after also winning twice.

The duo are the great hope of Indonesian golf and fancy their chances this week as it is a golf course they know extremely well.

In 2008, Hie completed an impressive victory at Imperial in The International Championship on the ASEAN PGA Tour to quickly announce his arrival among the professional ranks.

The Indonesian turned professional just two months earlier following a brilliant college career in the United States. Hie finish three strokes clear of Andik, who at that time was the country’s top amateur having won the Indonesia Amateur in 2007 and 2005.

Hie will tee off full of confidence having already won this season on home soil. He claimed the Pelindo Open in Medan in January.

“When I won here in 2008 it was my first win as a professional. It was a great feeling. It has not been all smooth sailing since then but you have to be patient in this game. The results are starting to come and I am keen to get going this week,” said Hie.

The Indonesian attended the University of Southern California and at one point was ranked sixth best amateur in the world. The talented golfer attended college for two years and then opted to leave prematurely as he felt he was ready for the professional game.

Andik also has fond memories of that 2008 tournament.

“I turned professional soon after that as it gave me a lot of confidence. It has not been easy playing as professional but last year I started to feel more comfortable with my game. It has taken time to adjust and winning the Order of Merit gave me a huge lift,” said Andik.

Andik finished as the leading local player in last year’s Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta. He ended in joint 44th place and will hope to improve on that this week.

Other top Indonesians playing are Benny Kasiadi, Sarmilih KZ, Ilyasak, and Maan Nasim.

Indra Hermawan, winner of the recent Ancora Pro Series 1 in West Java, is also competing.

Amongst the other notables in the line-up are Major champion Wayne Grady of Australia, winner of the 1990 US PGA Championship, and teen prodigy Han Chang-won of Korea, the 2009 Asian Amateur champion who will make his eagerly awaited professional tournament debut.

Imperial Klub Golf is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

"Spirit of Smiles" Accor Charity Golf Tournament 2nd Edition

Shotgun start 1pm - Saturday, April 9th, 2011
at Bali Golf & Country Club

Entries Limited to First 144 Players to Register
Great Golf Festivities - Sponsored Goodies on All Holes
All Charity Proceeds Dedicated to "A Tree For A Child Foundation"
Unique Golf Trophies & Prizes

Individual Events
 Best Gross Men / Runner Up / Seniors
 Best Net Men / Runner Up / Seniors
 Best Gross / Net / Net Runner Up Ladies

Team Events
 Best 'Net' 4 Ball Best Ball Team
 2 x Long Drive Holes - Nearest the Line
 2 x Nearest the Pin Holes

Great Lucky Draw Prizes
Entry Fee : Rp 1,300,000.- inclusive Golf - Poolside BBQ Awards Dinner Provided bt the Chefs of Accor Bali Lombok - Entertainment - Golf Trophies & Prizes
Poolside BBQ Award Dinner - Rp 400,000.- for Non-Golfer

Lucky Draw Grand Prize
2 Return Tickets to Perth with Garuda Indonesia
+ 3 Nights Accomodation at Vines Resort
+ 2 Rounds of Golf

Golfers New Flash
Hole in One Prize
smart fortwo (engineered by Mercedes Benz)

Information & Entry Hotlines
Ms Dede Rai Viany: +62 (361) 771 791 ext 104
Ms Komang Puspa : +62 (361) 771 791 ext 105

Monday, March 21, 2011

Booming OneAsia Blasts Off 2011 Season At Indonesia PGA Championship


Jakarta, 21 March 2011 - OneAsia, the fastest-growing golf circuit in the world, will launch its lucrative 13-stop schedule for 2011 with this week's star-laden Indonesia PGA Championship, worth a juicy US$180,000 to the winner.

Formed in 2009 with just five events, OneAsia doubled in size to 10 tournaments last year and will stage at least three more in 2011, each with minimum prize money of US$1 million.

China’s Liang Wenchong, who has won a record three events on OneAsia and topped the 2010 Order of Merit with US$560,736 in earnings, will start as favourite at Imperial Klub Golf from March 24-27.

Liang, a former Asian number one, has pledged his support for OneAsia and hopes his trailblazing achievements will inspire the next generation of players in Asia-Pacific.

“I think the influence of OneAsia will be long term,” said Liang, who at world number 76 will be the highest-ranked player in action in Asia this week. “It is backed by the China Golf Association which is a good thing.

“I hope my winning the Order of Merit last year will lead more and more young players to play more and more international events. In that respect, I see myself as a trailblazer.”

Liang heads one of the strongest fields assembled for a standalone OneAsia event outside of Australia with 2009 Order of Merit champion Scott Strange and a quartet of winners from last year leading the challengers.

Australia’s Strange, a two-time winner on the European Tour including the OneAsia joint-sanctioned Volvo China Open in 2009, is joined by countryman Kim Felton, New Zealander Michael Hendry and the highly rated Korean duo of Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, who all tasted victory on OneAsia last season.

The big-hitting Kim, who emerged victorious at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last year and was runner-up to Liang in the Order of Merit, has high hopes of making a winning start to the season.

"I am quite confident to win this competition," said Kim. "I have put in a lot of effort since December and hopefully I can play more consistently and skillfully this year.”

Thailand greats Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng, who have won a total of 21 titles between them in the region, will bid for a groundbreaking first victory on OneAsia at the Indonesia PGA Championship.

Thaworn, like Liang a former Asian number one, has won 12 times on the Asian circuit and Prayad has a combined nine titles on the Asian and Japan Tours to his name and the veterans are keen to make their mark on booming OneAsia.

Eight out of the top 10 players from last year’s Order of Merit will compete for the title with Australians Matthew Griffin (7), Andre Stolz (8) and Michael Wright (10) joining Liang, Kim, Hendry, Bae and Felton who finished first, second, third, fourth and sixth respectively.

Amongst the other notables in the line-up are Major champion Wayne Grady of Australia, winner of the 1990 US PGA Championship, and teen prodigy Han Chang-won of Korea, the 2009 Asian Amateur champion who will make his eagerly awaited professional tournament debut.

Imperial Klub Golf, the tournament venue, is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Jakarta's William Sjaichuddin Claims Individual Honors At Furman Intercollegiate

Greenville, S.C. – The Clemson men's golf team (287-289-272=848) fired a tournament record round of 272 (-16) to clinch its second straight Furman Intercollegiate title at the par-72 Furman University Golf Club on Sunday afternoon while Purdue's William Sjaichudin (65-69-72=206) claimed individual medalist honors.

In the first round junior William Sjaichudin, from Jakarta, Indonesia, birdied nine holes to a personal-best seven-under par 65 to grab the individual lead at the par-72, 6,994-yard Furman University Golf Club on Friday.

Sjaichudin capped the tournament with a 72 to finish one stroke in front of second place Harold Varner (67-70-70=207) of East Carolina. Tied after 53 holes, Sjaichudin notched a birdie at No. 18 while Varner settled for par and second place.

Freshman Thomas Bradshaw (72-73-64=209) matched the tournament's single round record and set a new competitive record at the Furman Golf Club, renovated three years ago, by shooting an eight-under 64 to rally the Tigers from a four-stroke deficit after 36 holes to a 12-stroke victory. Bradshaw posted seven birdies and an eagle at the par five No. 15 on his way to a third place finish. Jodie Mudd (1981) of Georgia Southern and Matt Peterson (1988) of Georgia previously posted rounds of 64 in the Furman Intercollegiate.

Clemson's Crawford Reeves (73-73-68=214) and McCuen Elmore (75-72-69=216) totaled rounds of 68 and 69, respectively, to power the Tigers past second place Kennesaw State (-4) and third place Virginia Tech (-2). The Tigers' 272 was four strokes better than the previous best round of 276 set by Ohio State in 1997.

Furman's Matt Broome (-1) carded a four-under 68 on Sunday to finish 10th and help the Paladins (+9) to a fifth place finish behind East Carolina (+3). The junior totaled seven birdies, including four straight after making the turn onto the front nine. Matt Brown shot a final round 74 to finish at one-over par for the tournament while Anthony Aloi used an eagle at No. 2 to shoot 72 and finish at two-over.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Korean Golf Prodigy Han Ready For Indonesia PGA Championship


Jakarta, 15 March 2011 - Teen titan Han Chang-won of Korea will make his eagerly awaited professional tournament debut at next week’s Indonesia PGA Championship on OneAsia.

The 2009 Asian Amateur champion underscored his huge promise by winning the OneAsia Qualifying School in January by six strokes to earn full playing rights for the 2011 season which will feature 13 tournaments each offering a minimum of US$1 million in prize money.

Han faces a baptism of fire on OneAsia with the Indonesia PGA Championship attracting a stellar field including 2010 Order of Merit champion Liang Wenchong of China and a quartet of other champions from last year – Koreans Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, Kiwi Michael Hendry and Kim Felton of Australia.

While the confident 19-year-old will not be fazed by challenging the best players in Asia-Pacific at Imperial Klub Golf from March 24-27, he is not putting himself under any pressure to achieve instant success.

“I have no great expectations for my first tournament,” he said. “But hopefully I will start out with a good result and keep going on smoothly (for the rest of the season).”

Han said that winning the OneAsia Qualifying School at Mission Hills Resort, Hainan, had provided him with a golden chance to shine in his first year as a professional.

"OneAsia is getting bigger and stronger, and there are many opportunities for me to grow. Now I can look forward to playing with the many great and famous professionals who have been playing on OneAsia. This is a dream for me,” he said.

“I’m planning to participate in all events on OneAsia this year. The goal for this year is to make the cut in all events with steady results, and hopefully I can achieve several top-10 finishes.”

Part of Han’s reward for winning the Asian Amateur Championship in 2009 was a prized spot in the field at last year’s Masters and although he missed the cut at Augusta his rounds of 79 and 76 saw him tie with former champion Sandy Lyle of Scotland.

Han, a university student who will have to juggle his studies and golf schedule, hopes to build on that experience by playing alongside the likes of three-time OneAsia winner Liang and Thai legends Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng, who will be gunning for a maiden title on the booming circuit at the Indonesia PGA Championship.

"I have heard that Liang is very diligent and hardworking," he said. "This is something I wish to learn from him and it would be an honour to be matched up with China's best player at one of OneAsia's tournaments."

Imperial Klub Golf, the tournament venue, is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 and America One in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Dottie Ardina From The Philippines Ends Korean Reign In Individual Section At Queen Sirikit Cup

New Delhi, March 11: Filipina Dottie Ardina upstaged the Korean favourite and defending champion Hyo Joo Kim, even as Gauri Monga had the local fans spellbound with the best-ever finish by an Indian individual in the history of Queen Sirikit Cup Golf presented by Usha International. In the end, Gauri, despite her stunning 20-foot birdie on the 18th lost out the third place on count back as Korean Ji Hee Kim birdied the 17th and parred the 18th for a 69, while Gauri had a 70. Both totaled three-under 213.

Ahead of them, Dottie Ardina in a dramatic finish over the last six holes, took the title by one shot. Ardina shot 70 and totaled 211, one ahead of Hyo Joo Kim who had 212 with rounds of 69, 69 and 74. Ji Hee Kim and Gauri Monga totaled 213. Monga had rounds of 73, 70 and 70, while Ji Hee Kim had rounds of 76, 68 and 69.

The Koreans (425) retained the title for the fifth time in succession, while Philippines (429) were second. China (441) were third, beating hosts Indian (442) by one shot.

Gauri, starting the day in tied third kept her nerve to birdie the 18th after going into the bunker to stay tied third. It was the first-ever top-3 finish by an Indian golfer in Queen Sirikit Cup’s 33-year-long history.

“The unfortunate double bogey on the ninth cost me dear,” said the 17-year-old Gauri, who had her best international outing. “I am happy with the way I played. I missed some close putts and then after a great first eight holes, during which I had three birdies, I dropped two shots on ninth.”

“It was such a big relief after three tense days. It is a difficult course and I tried to hit straight as I am not a long hitter,” said Ardina.

“It was a tense finish and I am glad I came through,” added the 17-year-old Ardina, who trains at the David Leadbetter Schools in Florida since 2008. “I played the Queen Sirikit Cup in 2007 and then I could not come for the event, because it clashed with school in US. This year I skipped the first semester and came over. I am glad I held by my cool and won. Hyo is a very good player, but it was my day.”

Hyo, who was three shots clear after two rounds, was four shots ahead after the 12th, which she double bogeyed. Then Ardina birdied the 13th and 14th with 10-foot and three foot putts. Hyo parred the 13th and bogeyed the 14th. That suddenly narrowed the lead to just one at the 15th.

Ardina parred the 16th, while a tense Hyo double bogeyed the hole to fall one back for the first time in the tournament and that is how the standings stayed with both parring the 16th and 17th and then both got birdies on the last.

The Indonesian team couldn't hold on to their 7th place after 2 rounds, finishing at a shared 9th with Thailand and Australia with a total score of 455. Best individual result was 13th place for Juriah with a total score of 226 (75-73-78).

Final scores of leading players after third and final round at 33rd Queen Sirikit Cup golf at Delhi Golf Club:

211: Dottie Ardina (Phi) (71-70-70),

212: Hyo Joo Kim (Kor) (69-69-74)

213: Ji Hee Kim (Kor) (76-68-69)

213: Gauri Monga (Ind) (73-70-70)

218: Cecilia Cho (NZL) (76-71-71)

Indonesian players:

Juriah: 226 (75-73-78) 13th place

Gianti Mahardika: 237 (86-77-74) 31th place

Cicilia Chudivan: 239 (78-83-78) 34th place



Teams: (Two best scores counted for each day)

425: Korea (Hyo Joo Kim, Ji Hee Kim and In Gee Chun)

429: Philippines (Dottie Ardina, Jayvie Marie Agojo and Chihero Ikeda)

441: China (Feng Simin, Yan Jing and Lin Xiyu)

442: India (Gauri Monga, Vani Kapoor and Aditi Ashok)

443: New Zealand (Cecelia Cho, Lydia Ko, Emily Perry)

448: Japan (Mamiko Higa, Eri Joma, Sakura Kito)

450: Chinese Taipei (Yi Chen Liu, Chi Wang, Chieh Lin Chiu)

453: Malaysia (Diana Tham, Aretha Pan, Nurul Saparudin)

455: Indonesia (Cicilia Chudivan, Gianti Mahardika, Juriah)

455: Thailand (Yupaporn Kawinprakorn, Jaruporn Aytthaya, Dolnapa Phudtipini)

455: Australia (Breanna Elliott, Ashley Ona, Jessica Speechley)

456: Singapore (Kok Jo Ee, Low Si Xuan, Koh Sock Hwee)

467: Hong Kong (Michelle Cheung, Mimi Ho, Tiana Gwenn Lau)

542: Sri Lanka (Dhanushi Senadhira, Nadine Jayaratne)

Friday, March 11, 2011

Korea Take Lead, Indonesia Eigth In Queen Sirikit Cup

New Delhi, March 10: Gauri Monga kept alive host India hopes of a podium place intact as she carded a two-under 70 ins second round to go to one-under 143 for the tournament at the 33rd Queen Sirikit Cup golf presented by Usha International. Playing at the unforgiving Delhi Golf Club on Thursday Gauri, who turns 18 only in October had a stunning front nine as she was four-under after five holes.

Monga was five behind the 15-year-old leader Korean Hyo Joo Kim, the defending champion. Hyo added a second straight 69 to move to six-under 138. Three behind the leader Hyo was Filipina Dottie Ardina (70) at three-under 141. Hyo’s colleague Ji Hee Kim shot the tournament best 68 to move to even par 144 for two days and she was fourth.

Hyo had five birdies and two bogeys, while Ardina, who dropped a double bogey on the 18th, had four other birdies. Monga had four birdies on front and none on the back nine, but she also dropped two bogeys.

In the team standings, defending champions Korea looking to win their fifth team title in a row, strengthened their position as Jee Hee Kim made up for her first day 76 with a four-under 68 on the second. That gave Korea a good lead six-shot lead after two days and are on way to retaining their title once again.

The second placed team is Philippines at 288. New Zealand and Chinese Taipei are third at 296, while China is fifth at 297 and India is 299. Malaysia is seventh at 302, one shot ahead of Indonesia at 303.

While Gauri Monga held the Indian team together, Vani Kapoor had a rough day with 77 and Aditi Ashok, just 12, carded 80 in the second round.

Monga was on a birdie spree in the morning as she racked up four in the first five holes, including two on the first two. She added two more on fourth and fifth. She held her nerve and turned in four-under and stayed there till the 12th. She dropped her first bogey on the 13th when she went into the bushes off the tee. She took the medicine and a bogey and still seemed set for a fine finish, before her second shot disappeared into the bushes on the tempting par-five 18th hole.

“I had four birdies in first five, but I still missed at least another two. I was a little disappointed with the back nine, where I had bogeys on the 13th and 18th. I was leaving the putts short. Hopefully I can wrap it up better on the last day,” said Gauri Monga. “I hit the ball well, but on the back nine nothing dropped.”

Hyo playing in one of the late groups opened with birdies on first two holes. She however gave away a shot on third with a bogey, but got her third birdie on the par-3 fifth. She had another birdie on the long par-5 eighth. She turned in three-under 33.

Hyo who birdied all four par-fives on first day, dropped a rare bogey on par-5 14th, but quickly collected herself to birdie the 15th. She parred the last three to end at a second successive 69 and six-under for 36 holes.

“I am getting used to the course. But I still feel it is a tough course. In the third round, maybe things will be better,” said Hyo after two 69s.

The scoring was way better than the first day as the girls made wiser choices in terms of clubs from the tee and used less of the drivers. They also played straighter and the putters worked a lot better.

Leading scores after Round 2
138 (69-69): Hyo Joo Kim (Kor)
141 Dottie Ardina (Phi) (71-70),
143: Gauri Monga (Ind) (73-70)
144: Ji Hee Kim (Kor) (76-68)
147: Cecilia Cho NZL) (76-71)
Yi Chen Liu (Tpe) (77-70)
Aretha Pan (Mal) (77-70)
Feng Simin (Chn) (74-73)
148: Juriah (Indonesia) (75-73)
149: Jayvie Marie Agojo (Phi) (78-71)
Lydia Ko (NZL) (74-75)
Sakuro Kito (Jpn) (74-75)


Teams:
282: Korea
288: Philippines
296: New Zealand and Chinese Taipei
297: China
299: India
302: Malaysia
303: Indonesia
304: Singapore and Japan
306: Australia
308: Thailand
315: Hong Kong
366: Sri Lanka

Thongchai To Star In Indonesian Masters

Jakarta, March 10: Asian golf legend and three-time Asian Tour number one Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand will compete in the inaugural US$750,000 Indonesian Masters next month, joining world number two Lee Westwood of England in the elite field at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

Organisers announced today that PNTS, one of Indonesia’s fastest growing off shore bulk cargo handling companies, Garuda Indonesia, the national flag carrier, and Mercedes-Benz have also signed up as sponsors of Indonesia’s newest Asian Tour tournament from April 21 to 24, 2011.

India’s rising star Gaganjeet Bhullar, a two-time Asian Tour champion and no stranger to success in Indonesia, and Thai standout Chapchai Nirat, a three-time winner, will also feature in the Indonesian Masters which will be beamed live throughout four rounds to over 40 countries and 440 million homes worldwide.

After writing several pages in Asian golf history with his exploits, Thongchai is determined to become the inaugural champion of the Indonesian Masters.

“I am looking forward to the Indonesian Masters next month, especially when it will be played at Royale Jakarta. I have heard it is a fantastic golf course and I believe it will contribute to a very successful week of golf,” said Thongchai.

“The Indonesian Masters will be very exciting as it has attracted a truly world class player in Lee Westwood along with many other top players from the Asian Tour such as Gaganjeet Bhullar and Chapchai Nirat. I have played alongside Lee on many occasions and I’m looking forward to teeing it up with him again. I have no doubt the Indonesian Masters will be a premier tournament on the Asian Tour,” said Thongchai.

The 41-year-old Thai is presently the most successful golfer in Asia following an unprecedented three Order of Merit triumphs in 2001, 2004 and 2009. He also holds the most number of victories on the Asian Tour with 13 titles and is the leader of the career earnings ranking with over US$4 million in winnings since breaking into the scene in 1999.

In 12 seasons on the Asian Tour, the former paratrooper has finished outside the top-10 of the merit list only twice to cement his reputation as one of the most consistent performers on the region’s elite circuit.

“I owe my success very much to the Asian Tour and it is tremendous to see new tournaments like the Indonesian Masters coming up on our Schedule. I will always support the Asian Tour,” said Thongchai.

Bhullar, 22, broke through in a big way at the 2009 Indonesian President Invitational and he will be determined to secure another victory in the country when he tees up at the Indonesian Masters. Last year, he won the Asian Tour International in Thailand while earlier this season, he wrote a small slice of history by becoming the first Indian to win a European Challenge Tour tournament.

The 28-year-old Chapchai will be looking to add the Indonesian Masters to his list of victories which include the TCL Classic in China, Vietnam Masters and SAIL Open in India where he set a world scoring record for 72 holes

Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour, welcomed PNTS, Garuda Indonesia and Mercedes-Benz on board the Indonesian Masters sponsorship platform.

“On behalf of our talented players, I would like to extend our fullest appreciation to PNTS, Garuda Indonesia and Mercedes-Benz for their strong support towards the Indonesian Masters. They are three of the biggest companies in Indonesia and we are delighted to have them on board with us,” said Han.

PNTS, which operates in Kalimantan and provides customers with its tailor-made solutions for commercial and logistics off shore bulk cargo handling, will take up the position as Main Partner of the Indonesia Masters

“As Indonesia’s premier golf tournament, PNTS is delighted to lend our fullest support towards the successful staging of the Indonesian Masters. It is clear that such an event will be great for the nation and we are proud to be a part of it. We look forward to inviting our key clients and suppliers to the event as our guests and seeing Asia’s best golfers compete here in Jakarta. We are a fast growing company which handles 8-10 bulkers a month and aim to reach 20 Million tones per year by 2012,” said Adi Kusumah, Director, PT PNTS.

Garuda Indonesia is also delighted to be a part of the Indonesian Masters as Official Airlines. “As a sponsor of the Indonesian Masters, Garuda Indonesia will have every opportunity to leverage on what will Indonesia’s most important golf championship. We are looking forward to providing the best flying experiences to the players, officials and spectators,” said Emirsyah Satar, President Director & CEO, Garuda Indonesia

As the Official Car, Mercedes-Benz will ride on the Indonesian Masters’ stature as a truly international golf tournament which will attract players from 30 different nationalities. “We are proud to support the Indonesian Masters. Our partnership with the event is a perfect fit because our customers will relate to a premier sport like golf,” said Rudi Borgenheimer, President Director, Mercedes-Benz Indonesia.

The Indonesian Masters is earmarked to become the country’s foremost golf championship, with plans to raise its prize fund and attract other international stars to Indonesia in the coming years.

Other sponsors of the Indonesian Masters include Four Seasons Hotel and Royale Jakarta Golf Club. The event is also supporting Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit organisation with the goal to build homes for the underprivileged in Indonesia.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Thai Legends Chase Glory At Indonesia PGA Championship


Jakarta, 10 March 2011 - Thailand greats Thaworn Wiratchant and Prayad Marksaeng, who have won a total of 21 titles between them in the region, will bid for a groundbreaking first victory on OneAsia at this month’s US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship.

Thaworn has won 12 times on the Asian circuit and Prayad has a combined nine titles on the Asian and Japan Tours to his name and the veterans are keen to make their mark on booming OneAsia, which will stage 13 tournaments, each worth at least US$1 million dollars, this season.

They join a strong field, including 2010 OneAsia Order of Merit winner Liang Wenchong of China, for the Indonesia PGA Championship at Imperial Klub Golf from March 24-27.

Koreans Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun, New Zealander Michael Hendry and Kim Felton of Australia, who all tasted victory on OneAsia last season, will also tee it up at the season-opener.

The 44-year-old Thaworn put his renowned short game on show to great effect during his previous two appearances on OneAsia, finishing fifth and eighth respectively at the Indonesia and Thailand Opens.

He has a good track record in Jakarta with victory in the 2005 Indonesia Open and is relishing a return to the happy hunting ground.

“I have good memories of Indonesia, having won my only European Tour title there in 2005,” he said.

“I am striking the ball well at the moment and feel that I can do well in the Indonesia PGA Championship. It would be good to record another win in Indonesia.”

The smooth-swinging Prayad is one of Asia’s leading players and enjoyed a magnificent year in 2008 with three victories on the Japan Tour resulting in a third place finish on the moneylist.

He has struggled with injuries for a couple of years and embarked on a new fitness regimen a few months ago to prepare himself for the 2011 campaign.

“I am really looking forward to playing the Indonesia PGA Championship,” said the 45-year-old Prayad. “I have concentrated on improving my fitness during the past couple of months to get ready for what I hope will be a successful season.”

Thaworn and Prayad will be joined in the line-up by several promising players from the ASEAN PGA, including countrymen Thanyakon Khrongpha, Wisut Artjanawat and Pavit Tangkamolprasert.

The highly rated Thanyakon won the Kariza Indonesia Championship last March and was also named as “the best young player” on Tour.

Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung, winner of the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam last year, and Jay Bayron of the Philippines also gained entry into the Indonesia PGA Championship through their ranking on the ASEAN PGA.

The Indonesia PGA Championship is part of an exciting new initiative spearheaded by tournament promoter Rajawali Sports International to raise the profile of golf in the country.

Imperial Klub Golf, the tournament venue, is one of Jakarta’s premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 and America One in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

BBQ Golf At Gading Raya PG&K

Gading Raya Padang Golf & Klub will hold their monthly BBQ Golf tournament for March on:

Date: 25 March 2011
Tee off: 12.30pm
Fee: Rp 350,000 (member), Rp 650,000 (guest)

Play is limited to 80 players only, so register early.

Hole-in-one prizes are a Yamaha motorbike and Synthetic Green.

Entry fee includes Jackpot, Lucky Draw, Live Music, Beer, and as the name promises, a BBQ Buffet.

For more info contact Gading Raya at (021) 546 7668.

OneAsia Titans To Clash At Indonesia PGA Championship


Liang, Bae, Kim, Hendry and Felton to tee up at Tour's season-opening event

Jakarta, March 9, 2011: OneAsia Order of Merit winner, China's Liang Wenchong, is all set to tee off at this month's Indonesia PGA Championship along with four other OneAsia Titans.

The Tour's season-opening event, worth US$1 million in prize money, will feature a host of champions including Bae Sang-moon and Kim Dae-hyun of Korea, New Zealand's Michael Hendry and Australian Kim Felton.

The star-studded event, which also features other elite golfers from all over the region, will be played at the Imperial Klub Golf in Jakarta from March 24-27.

Liang, who enjoyed an outstanding season on OneAsia last year, returns to the circuit with much enthusiasm about the Tour's growth. He will head a 20-strong Chinese contingent and sees the tournament in Indonesia as an exciting start for his compatriots.

"The development of Chinese golf needs good professional players, and OneAsia is the soil for this development," said Liang. "This tournament is one of more international events this year and this is a great leap forward. With this increase, there will be more opportunities to communicate and learn from international experts,” said Liang.

For the first time, the Chinese number one will go head-to-head with Korea's young guns, the big-hitting Kim and confident Bae .

"They are the future of Korean golf and I believe they will continue in the footsteps of K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang. There is much to learn from how these young Korean players develop. I hope to be in the same group as them at some point during the week," added the Chinese star.

Kim, who emerged victorious at the GS Caltex Maekyung on OneAsia and was also last year's Order of Merit winner in Korea, has been working hard on refining his famous big-hitting swing for his Indonesian debut.

"I am quite confident to win this competition," said Kim. "I have put in a lot of effort since December and hopefully I can play more consistently and skilfully this year. I'll just do my best. And I intend to participate in OneAsia events as much as possible, as long as my schedule permits."

Good friend Bae, a two-time winner on OneAsia, also looks forward to his first Indonesian event, which will kick-start his season.

"This is my first competition this year and I will play it with peace of mind," Bae said. "I'll be playing mainly JGTO but I also intend to play in more OneAsia events, and I hope to put on a good show ."

Bae is one of the region's most exciting young players and was the second player after Liang to win two OneAsia titles: The 2009 Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open and the 2010 SK Telecom Open. He is currently ranked third on Korea's Order of Merit after having topped it for two consecutive years.

The two stars from Daegu are looking forward to playing with China's best from Zhongshan.

"Liang is a really great player, especially his putting," said Kim. "His short game is competitive with even big players from the European Tour, in my eyes."

"I am aware that he is an outstanding player," Bae agreed. "He is strong on short game and his forte is unflappable play. I have not played with him and look forward to this opportunity - My attitude is to learn from top-class players like him."

Liang will also battle it out once again with Hendry, who propelled his name into the spotlight with a seven-stroke victory ahead of Liang at the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta on OneAsia last year.

Hendry has led the New Zealand Tour's Order of Merit for the past two years, and finished third on the OneAsia Order of Merit after Liang and Kim.

Felton also jets to Jakarta this month to make a play for the tournament's purse. The freshly-married Felton, who took home the winner's check at last year's Midea China Classic, is looking forward to a fruitful season after having come back from a difficult period in which he spent much of his time away from competitive golf due to a drop in form.

The Indonesia PGA Championship is part of an exciting new initiative spearheaded by tournament promoter Rajawali Sports International to raise the profile of golf in the country.

It is one of 13 events on this year's OneAsia schedule, which also features the Indonesia Open presented by Enjoy Jakarta later in the season. OneAsia was launched in 2009 so that for the first time the region could boast a year-long schedule of million dollar events featuring the elite players from across the Asia Pacific.

Imperial Klub Golf is one of Jakarta's premier golf courses and boasts a championship course designed by British architect Desmond Muirhead.

The Club is located in the new town development of Lippo Karawaci and is 25 minutes from downtown Jakarta and 35 minutes from Jakarta's international airport.

It has previously hosted two events on the ASEAN PGA Tour. Malaysian Danny Chia won the 2007 International Championship at Imperial while the following year Indonesia's rising star Rory Hie claimed the same title.

The Indonesia PGA Championship will be showcased on OneAsia's television platform with live coverage for four hours a day across all four tournament days, and broadcast to over 400 million homes in more than 40 countries.

Full coverage of OneAsia is available internationally on ESPN Star Sports, Jupiter Golf Network, SBS Golf Channel, Fox International, Network Ten, Sky Sports NZ, ESPN3 and America One in the USA, and ViaSat and Bloomberg Television among others in Europe.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Koreans favourites at Queen Sirikit

The Queen Sirikit Cup is played this week at the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi with 14 countries assembling teams of three to compete in the three day event beginning on Wednesday March 9th. The event is being staged for the 33rd occasion.

Teams from Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand will join hosts India.

The format consists of 54 holes of stroke-play with the leading two scores each day counting towards a team’s accumulative score.

Reflecting the strength of Korean Women’s golf, their team of Hyo Joo Kim, Ji Hee Jang, Su Yeong Yang are seeking their country’s fifth consecutive title and seventh in the last nine stagings of the event.

Only Chinese Taipei has interrupted the Korean’s domination of the event in recent years when they won in 2005 and 2006.

Australia is represented by Queenslander, Ashley Ona, West Australian, Jessica Speechley, and Victoria’s Breanna Elliott and the team is in good form as it seeks its first win in the event since 2001 in Hong Kong. In that same year Rebecca Stevenson also won the Individual title. Australian has won the team event on eight occasions overall.

Queenslander, Ona, won the ActewAGL Royal Canberra Ladies Classic in January defeating a field that included Laura Davies, Katherine Hull, Kristie Smith and Nikki Campbell while Yarrawonga’s Elliott recently won the Lake Macquarie Amateur.

The New Zealand team of Cecilia Cho, Lydia Ko and Emily Perry may well be a team to watch. Both Ko (13) and Cho (16) have performed with distinction against some of the world’s best in professional events in Australia and are considered to be future leading professionals themselves.

Ko was beaten in a playoff for the NSW Open and finished 4th at the recent New Zealand Women’s Open in Christchurch while Cho finished 5th behind Yani Tseng at the ANZ Ladies Masters on the Gold Coast.

For Indonesia captain S Retno Purwandari and team manager Cindy Carina are supporting the national team consisting of Cicilia Chudivan, Gianti Mahardika (Jagorawi G&CC) and Juriah (Matoa National GC).

FUNtastic Golf Tournament, 24th March 2011

Holla back golfers!

We are back!! ... The special one of CGC Tournament!

The 1st Fun Golf Tournament in 2011, this is gonna be big, huge, massive, happening and of course a lot of FUN !!!
Cengkareng Golf Club proudly presents

FUNtastic Golf Tournament
Thursday, March 24th
Shotgun starts 12.30 pm


MC Ms.Okee

Music by YY - X2 Resident DJ

Also enjoy the performance of sexy dancers!

Hole in One prizes:
#4 Golf Trip to Phuket 3D/2N (by Arjuna Prod)
#8 Smart Car
#12 Honda Freed (by PT. Handijaya Sukatama)

Entry fee :
Member's rate 1.250.000
Non-member's rate 1.500.000

** includes green & caddy fee, insurance & tax, surprising goodie bags, exciting lucky draw & grand prices, fun games, hole in one prizes, foods, free flow drinks, sexy dancers, lots of girl and last but not least Exclusive Invitations to X2 Grand 4th Anniversary "4th Dimension"

What's special on this tournament?

All participant of FUNtastic Golf Tournament are invited to X2's 4th Grand Anniversary on Friday, March 25th 2011.

You'll have a 2 days party over!! Without paying extra ;) It's already included in the package of your golf invitation!

Special thanks to beloved partners :
X2 Club Jakarta • Southwest Green • Malaysia Airlines • Bose • TaylorMade • S.T. Dupont • Mercedes Benz • Lufthansa Airlines • Samsung • Bluescope Steel • Air Asia • Honda (PT. Handijaya Sukatama) • Rudy Project • LoudMouth • Fedaboa • Sorlex • Gahyo Restaurant • many moreee


"Let's have a night to remember under the disco ball together as CGC Family"

C u on the green & dance floor :)
For more info & reservation :
CGC : 021 - 55911111 or cgc@cengkarenggolfclub.com
Yunita David 08179844198
Suzan 0817852906

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Champion Chadha Wins Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

Abhijit Chadha of India birdied the final hole of the Faldo Course to win the fifth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. Liu Yi-Chen of Chinese Taipei was crowned Faldo Series Asia girls’ champion to add to the Faldo Series Europe title she won last year.

19 year-old Chadha shot a final round 74 to finish on level par, one ahead of compatriot Ashbeer Saini from Punjab and 18 year-old Liu, who becomes the first female winner of the Faldo Series Europe and Asia ‘double’.

“This is my first international victory so I feel brilliant,” commented Chadha, who becomes the second champion from India after two-time winner Rashid Khan. “My knees were trembling on the 18th but I didn’t three-putt all week so that was the secret behind this amazing victory.”

The champion from Chandigarh continued: “I would like to thank Nick Faldo and all the sponsors for giving us this opportunity and I can’t wait to spend time with Sir Nick at the Europe Grand Final later in the year.”

“Congratulations to Abhijit on a wonderful win against a record field at a Faldo Series Asia Grand Final,” said Sir Nick Faldo. “Abhijit joins an impressive list of Faldo Series champions and I look forward to spending time with him and the other age-group winners during the 15th Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland on September 12-14.”

The six-time Major winner added: “I thank everyone involved in giving these players this experience. Our friends at Mission Hills, The R&A, ISPS and UFL, and all our other partners, bring valuable support and vision. It is their commitment that makes the Faldo Series possible and allows us to provide experience and opportunity to young people through golf.”

17 year-old Saini, who led by one going into a dramatic final hole that saw him produce a bogey against Chadha’s birdie, was still able to celebrate a place in the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final as winner of the Boys’ Under-16 category. England’s Jack Colegate, 17, booked a return trip to Lough Erne by winning the Boys’ Under-18 category, the same title he won in the 2010 Europe Grand Final to earn his place at Mission Hills. Defending champion Masamichi Ito, 15, from Japan could only manage a 74 in the final round to finish four behind Chadha in fifth place.

In the girls’ category, Liu from Taoyuan will return to Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in September to try and make it three Faldo Series girls’ titles in a row. She will be joined by 16 year-old Wang Chi, also from Chinese Taipei, who won the Girls’ Under-16 category.

Best score for the Indonesian participants was 226 (77-71-78) by Fahmi Reza who finished 6th in the Boys' Under-21 category, with highest position going to Agnes Retno Soedjasmin who finished 4th in the Girls' Under-21 category with a score of 236 (77-79-80).

The other Indonesian players finished lower in the field with Ian Andrew at 9th in the Boys' Under-18 category with a score of 243 (83-79-81), Kevin Roesli at 22nd in the Boys' Under-16 category with a score of 255 (85-89-81), and Nadya Rosiana at 9th in the Girls' Under-16 category with a score of 243 (86-78-79).

79 golfers from 17 different countries took part in the 2011 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills. The largest ever line-up included representatives from 14 Asian countries, including 21 golfers from mainland China, plus others from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and England.

Over 35 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries worldwide with more than 5,000 golfers per year participating. Former winners include Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, John Parry, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng, all winners on Tour.

The Faldo Series Asia Grand Final was supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A, together with official golf wear partner UFL and official equipment supplier TaylorMade. It was endorsed by the Asian Tour, the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC) and the Guangdong Golf Association.

Leading final scores: Boys’ Under-21: 216 – Abhijit Chadha (IND) 73-69-74; 219 – Huang Tao (TPE) 76-71-72; 223 – Kenneth De Silva (MAL) 76-74-73. Boys’ Under-18: 222 – Jack Colegate (ENG) 70-77-75; 223 – Liu Lok Tin (HKG) 76-73-74; 225 – Jin Daxing (CHN) 69-75-81. Boys’ Under-16: 217 – Ashbeer Saini (IND) 72-71-74; 220 – Masamichi Ito (JPN) 73-73-74; 222 – Terrence Ng (HKG) 80-68-74. Girls’ Under-21: 217 – Liu Yi-Chen (TPE) 76-73-68; 226 – Saraporn Chamchoi (THA) 79-73-74; 232 – Mai Arai (JPN) 80-75-77. Girls’ Under-16: 224 – Wang Chi (TPE) 76-74-74; 230 – Kitty Tam (HKG) 77-74-79, Wu Sha (CHN) 73-76-81.

For final scores and results from the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final visit www.nickfaldo.com. You can also follow the Faldo Series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faldoseries.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Fatmawati Kecil Rumored To Become A Football Ground

To make way for a newly proposed "metro" terminal, the Lebak Bulus football stadium is looking for a new home. The proposed and preferred spot is most likely going to be the land that is now occupied by Fatmawati Kecil, the 9-holes golf course that, since the 70-ties, has been the breeding ground for local and foreign golfers alike who wanted to hone their golfing skills.

Nine out of ten golfers that picked up the game while based in Jakarta will think back of their "Fatmawati Kecil" experience and surely have fond memories of the days when they were trying to make the big step from this 9-holes layout to the "real stuff" that courses in Indonesia are made of.


As it truly is a "hackers" heaven - where no one really cares about how bad or how slow you play - it is here where over the past three to four decades many golfers made the transition from driving range to fairways and greens.

Personally, I fondly think back to one particular day in the early 90-ties, when Chris Lupgens, one of our mad golfing buddies, expedited a ball in the direction of his caddie who, impatiently, had made his way onto the fairway. Once hit, like a sack of potatoes the man dropped to "mother earth" and when he came back to live, we lifted him over the fence of the adjacent Fatmawati hospital for a scan and to see if all of his brain was still intact.

Joyful about the good news that he suffered no severe injury, we jumped the fence back on to the course and continued play. Timidly the wounded caddie rejoined our group wearing a helmet for the remainder of the round.

If all goes the way it's planned, aspiring first-time golfers will have to look for a new place that welcomes warmly "golfers of a lesser God".

Chadha Takes Charge At Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

India’s Abhijit Chadha will take a one shot lead into the final day of the fifth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final after firing a second round 69 on the Faldo Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China.

Chadha from Chandigarh is at two under par 142 and will be playing alongside compatriot Ashbeer Saini in the third and final round. The 17 year-old from Punjab is one shot behind after adding a second round 71 to his first round 72. Both players are hoping to become the second Faldo Series Asia champion from India after two-time winner Rashid Khan who won in 2008 and 2009 and turned professional in 2010.

19 year-old Chadha got off to the best possible start with three birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes on his way to a three under par 69. Meanwhile overnight leader Jin Daxing, 18, of China struggled to a 75 after his opening 69 but is only two shots off the lead on level par.

Defending champion Masamichi Ito of Japan lies in fourth place on two over par after a second 73. Four shots off the lead, the 15 year-old still has a chance to become the first ever player to win three consecutive Faldo Series titles having followed his win at Mission Hills last year with victory in the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland in September.

Heading the challenge for the Faldo Series Asia girls’ title is China’s Wu Sha and Liu Yi-Chen of Chinese Taipei, both at five over par 149. Overnight girls’ leader Wu, 13, from Guangdong carded a second round 76 which allowed reigning Faldo Series Europe girls’ champion Liu, 18, to catch her up with a 73.

79 golfers from 17 different countries are at Mission Hills for the fifth edition of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. The largest ever line-up includes representatives from 14 Asian countries, including 21 golfers from mainland China, plus others from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and England.

Six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo launched the Faldo Series in 1996 to provide opportunities through golf and to help develop tomorrow’s champions. Over 35 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries worldwide with more than 5,000 golfers per year participating. Former winners include Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, John Parry, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng, all winners on Tour.

The field for this R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event is divided into five age-groups and the player with the lowest gross score after three rounds of stroke-play, regardless of age or gender, will be crowned champion. The five age-group winners will be exempt for the 15th Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland on September 12-14 and the leading boy and girl will be invited to play in a professional Tour event.

The Faldo Series Asia Grand Final is supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A, together with official golf wear partner UFL and official equipment supplier TaylorMade. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour, the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC) and the Guangdong Golf Association.

Leading round two scores: Boys’ Under-21: 142 – Abhijit Chadha (IND) 73-69; 147 – Huang Tao (TPE) 76-71; 148 – Fahmi Reza (INA) 77-71. Boys’ Under-18: 144 – Jin Daxing (CHN) 69-75; 147 – Jack Colegate (ENG) 70-77; 149 – Liu Lok Tin (HKG) 76-73; and 162 (8th) - Ian Andrew (INA) 83-79. Boys’ Under-16: 143 – Ashbeer Saini (IND) 72-71; 146 – Masamichi Ito (JPN) 73-73; 148 – Terrence Ng (HKG) 80-68, Jian Chuanlin (CHN) 70-78; and 164 (23rd) - Kevin Roesli (INA) 85-89. Girls’ Under-21: 149 – Liu Yi-Chen (TPE) 76-73; 152 – Saraporn Chamchoi (THA) 79-73; Mai Arai (JPN) 80-75; and 156 (5th) - Agnes Retno Sudjasmin 77-79. Girls’ Under-16: 149 – Wu Sha (CHN) 73-76; 150 – Wang Chi (TPE) 76-74; 151 – Kitty Tam (HKG) 77-74; and 164 (7th) - Nadya Rosiana 86-78.

For tee times, live scores and results during the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final visit www.nickfaldo.com or follow the Faldo Series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faldoseries.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

China Dominates Day One Of Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

Jin Daxing of China leads the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final after day one. A three-under-par 69 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen puts the 18 year-old from Hainan at the top of a leaderboard which features three Chinese players in the top five.

Jin birdied the opening hole of the Faldo Course on his way to a first-round 69, one better than compatriot Jian Chuanlin, 16, from Guangdong and 17 year-old Jack Colegate of England. India’s Ashbeer Saini, 17, is two shots further back with a level-par 72.

China’s Wu Sha lies in a tie for fifth place on 73 and is the leading girl after a two-under-par back nine. The 13 year-old local from Guangdong finished on 73, three ahead of the reigning Faldo Series Europe girls’ champion Liu Yi-Chen, 18, and 16 year-old Wang Chi, both from Chinese Taipei.

The group of players on 73 also includes defending champion Masamichi Ito of Japan. The 15 year-old is bidding to become the first ever player to win three consecutive Faldo Series titles having followed his win at Mission Hills last year with victory in the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at the Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland in September.

79 golfers from 17 different countries are at Mission Hills for the fifth edition of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final. The largest ever line-up includes representatives from 14 Asian countries, including 21 golfers from mainland China, plus others from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and England.

Six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo launched the Faldo Series in 1996 to provide opportunities through golf and to help develop tomorrow’s champions. Over 35 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in more than 25 countries worldwide with more than 5,000 players per year participating. Former winners include Rory McIlroy, Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, John Parry, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Yani Tseng, all winners on Tour.

The field for this R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event is divided into five age-groups and the player with the lowest gross score after three rounds of stroke-play, regardless of age or gender, will be crowned champion. The five age-group winners will be invited to the 15th Faldo Series Europe Grand Final at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland on September 12-14 and the leading boy and girl will be invited to play in a professional Tour event.

The Faldo Series Asia Grand Final is supported by major partners ISPS, Mission Hills and The R&A, together with official golf wear partner UFL and official equipment supplier TaylorMade. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour, the Asia Pacific Golf Federation (APGC) and the Guangdong Golf Association.

Leading round one scores: Boys’ Under-21: 73 – Abhijit Chadha (IND); 76 – Kenneth De Silva (MAL), Jerome Ng (SIN), Huang Tao (TPE); 77 - Fahmi Reza (INA). Boys’ Under-18: 69 – Jin Daxing (CHN); 70 – Jack Colegate (ENG); 74 – Mikumu Horikawa (JAP); and 83 (10th) - Ian Andrew (INA). Boys’ Under-16: 70 – Jian Chuanlin (CHN); 72 – Ashbeer Saini (IND); 73 – Masamichi Ito (JPN); and 85 (21th) - Kevin Roesli (INA). Girls’ Under-21: 76 – Liu Yi-Chen (TPE); 77 – Agnes Retno Sudjasmin (INA); 79 – Saraporn Chamchoi (THA). Girls’ Under-16: 73 – Wu Sha (CHN); 76 – Wang Chi (TPE); 77 – Kitty Tam (HKG), Zhang Weiwei (CHN); and 86 (15th) - Nadya Rosiana (INA).

For tee times, live scores and results during the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final visit www.nickfaldo.com or follow the Faldo Series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faldoseries.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Westwood To Play In Indonesia As He Looks To Reclaim Top Slot

Lee Westwood has confirmed he will play in the Indonesian Masters in April.

The Worksop golf, who was knocked off the top of the World Rankings by the German Martin Kaymer, following the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, will play in the $750,000 tournament at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club from April 21 to 24.

The 37-year-old Ryder Cup star remains in America this week to play in the Honda Classic, as he attempts to regain his place at the top of the rankings.

In his role as an ambassador of the game, Westwood is aware of his responsibility when he accepted the Asian Tour's invitation to play in Jakarta.

"I am hoping I can help lift the profile of the game in Indonesia," he said. "It should be a pretty strong field and, with our guys doing so well in the World Rankings, it will add a lot of media interest to the event.

"They want to promote golf in the country and that's what we will be looking to help them with."

Four years ago, Westwood visited the country when he played in the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational, where he finished third.

"I'm excited about going back," he said. "I want to see how things have progressed since 2007.

"I keep hearing good things and I know the game has improved in the country.

"I've been coming to play in Asia for many years so I'm looking forward to getting back over there.

"Overall everything is better. We now have Asian players taking on and beating the best of the world.

"These players can win in any given week and with the people in Asia watching, they will want to do well in this competition.

"If you look at the World Rankings, they are making progress all the time and I would think, in time, they will have a golfer good enough to be the world No. 1. If it's not from this generation then, hopefully, some of these young kids watching these players will one day be good enough.

"That's what I will be trying to do, spread the word to these youngsters and get them involved in the game of golf."

Westwood played a lot of his early professional career representing the Malaysian Tourist Board and actually won the B&H Malaysian Open in 1997.

So, he knows what it takes to win in that intense heat.

He said: "I would love to win the tournament,

"That's my ambition every time I tee up, no matter where I'm playing in the world.

"But it's getting harder all the time. The Asian Tour and the Indonesian players are getting better and it will not be easy.

"It's never easy to go to play and win in different places so I have to be in top form.

"There will be a lot of pressure on me but I try not to put too many expectations on myself, and just try to play my best."