Sunday, September 29, 2013

Another Top 20 Finish For Rory Hie At Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open

Osaka, September 29 - Japanese young gun Masahiro Kawamura outclassed Koreans Y.E. Yang and Park Sung-joon to win his first career victory at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open on Sunday.

The 20-year-old Kawamura overturned a two-shot deficit with a battling four-under-par 67 to claim a one-shot win over Park, who returned with a 70, at the Y150 million (approximately US$1.48 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

Yang, an Asian Tour honorary member and Asia’s first male Major champion, almost won another title in Japan since 2006 before a triple bogey on 11 dashed his title hopes at the Ibaraki Country Club.

He settled for third after returning with a 69 while Liang Wen-chong (68) of China, the 2007 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, Brad Kennedy (70) of Australia and Akio Sadakata (71) of Japan finished a further two shots back in tied fourth.

The slightly built Kawamura turned in 36 but recovered with a sensational back nine highlighted by important birdies on 17 and 18 to end his campaign on nine-under-par 275.

Indonesia's top player Rory Hie (73) had to concede two more places to finish in a tie for 16th. Once more he double bogeyed the par-4 11th ending the tournament at 1-over-par.


Interview with Rory Hie after round 4 of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open

The victory capped a bittersweet season for the young Japanese as he had struggled with a thumb injury earlier in the year which resulted in seven missed cuts in nine appearances on home soil.

“This win is really big. Obviously it is the biggest thing to happen in my career. Now I get to play in Japan and on the Asian Tour as well. I’m sure it will brighten my future and help me improve,” said Kawamura, who pocketed approximately US$306,779.

“I injured my left thumb earlier in the year and I really struggled with that. It was frustrating so I’m glad that I bounced back from that injury and win!” he smiled.

Park needed a birdie on the last to force a playoff but misjudged his 10 feet putt. The Korean, who has yet to miss a cut in Japan this season, said the turning point came when he three putted for bogey on 16 and dropped another shot on the next hole.

“Maybe next time I will have better luck. I’m still playing okay so that’s the positive I can take back from this week,” said Park who capped his fourth runner-up result in Japan this season.

Yang, who defeated Tiger Woods at the 2009 US PGA Championship, recovered from a triple bogey on 11 with three straight birdies from 13 but it was not enough to edge Kawamura.

“I played good. I only missed my drive on the 11th hole and dropped three shots there. My game is in great shape at the moment and I’m happy with where it is heading,” said the 41-year-old Yang.

Liang, a two-time Asian Tour winner, secured his second consecutive top-five result in Japan after trading five birdies against two bogeys.

“I just made two mental mistakes in my round. I think I did well. I’m glad with my perfoYe-yan2rmances in these last two weeks. I wanted to gain more confidence from this week and I did. I think it will really help me heading into the end of the season,” said Liang.

Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand, the second round leader at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, struggled to a 77 to finish tied 22nd.

Scores after round 4 of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic being played at the par 71, 7328 Yards Ibaraki Country Club course:

275 – Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 69-68-71-67

276 – PARK Sung-Joon (KOR) 71-67-68-70

277 – Y.E. YANG (KOR) 71-68-69-69

279 – LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 73-71-67-68, Brad KENNEDY (AUS) 72-66-71-70, Akio SADAKATA (JPN) 75-65-68-71

281 – Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 72-67-71-71, Kazuhiro YAMASHITA (JPN) 73-67-70-71

282 – LEE Kyoung-hoon (KOR) 70-73-69-70

283 – Gunn CHAROENKUL (THA) 72-69-74-68, Joonas GRANBERG (FIN) 73-72-72-66

284 – Han LEE (USA) 71-72-72-69, LU Wei-chih (TPE) 72-71-71-70, Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 70-73-71-70, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 71-66-71-76

285 – Masanori KOBAYASHI (JPN) 74-67-75-69, S.K. HO (KOR) 71-70-74-70, Katsumasa MIYAMOTO (JPN) 73-69-73-70, Rory HIE (INA) 69-69-74-73, David OH (USA) 75-67-69-74, SONG Young-han (KOR) 69-69-71-76

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Rory Falls Back At Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open

Osaka, September 28 - Park Sung-joon of Korea continued his formidable form after shooting a third round three-under-par 68 to charge into a two-shot lead at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open on Saturday.

The slightly-built Korean, who has not missed a single cut in Japan this season, overcame the tough playing conditions with four birdies against one bogey for a seven-under-par 206 at the Ibaraki Country Club.

Asian Tour honorary member and Asia’s first male Major champion Y.E. Yang of Korea sank a 15 footer eagle putt on the last for a 69 to share second place with Japan’s Tetsuji Hiratsuka (71), Masahiro Kawamura (71) and Akio Sadakata (68).

Overnight leader Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand slipped back to tied sixth after posting a disappointing 74 to trail Park by three shots at the Y150 million (approximately US$1.48 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

Rory Hie of Indonesia had a round of 74 as well, which saw him drop van share of 5th to a share of 14th, 6 shots off the lead. With 2 bogeys on the front nine and a double bogey on 11th, he was in for a beating, but he was able to recover himself with a birdie on 13th to finish if it off with a bogey-birdie combo.

Park has enjoyed a wonderful season in Japan after changing to a new putter earlier this year which resulted in him winning in September and posting three other runner-up finishes.

“I struggled with my putting last year and I changed to the mallet putter and it really helped me out. I started off well in the season and that gave me a lot of confidence,” said the 27-year-old Park.

“It is going to be another day and another 18 holes. I just got to focus on my game. It doesn’t matter who I’m playing against. I’m feeling pretty comfortable with my game so I should be good,” he added.

Yang, who defeated Tiger Woods at the 2009 US PGA Championship, was even-par after 17 holes but produced a grandstand finish when his pinpoint approach shot landed 15-feet from the hole.

“I only played good for 18 holes but I’m still happy! The wind was blowing quite strongly but my swing has been the same. I think I have a good chance. Park is playing good but I’m only two shots back,” said Yang, who is making his debut at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open.

Pariya, a two-time Asian Tour winner, struggled to take advantage of his opening two birdies when he returned with five bogeys including three straight dropped shots from the eighth hole.

“I guess I tried to push it a little bit too much after making early birdies. It is a lesson to learn. I won’t do anything differently except stay patient. If I shoot three or four-under, maybe it might get me to the top,” said the 29-year-old Pariya.

Scores after round 3 of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic being played at the par 71, 7328 Yards Ibaraki Country Club course:

206 – PARK Sung-Joon (KOR) 71-67-68

208 – Akio SADAKATA (JPN) 75-65-68, Y.E. YANG (KOR) 71-68-69, Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 69-68-71, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 71-66-71

209 – Brad KENNEDY (AUS) 72-66-71, SONG Young-han (KOR) 69-69-71, Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 65-70-74

210 – Kazuhiro YAMASHITA (JPN) 73-67-70, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 72-67-71

211 – David OH (USA) 75-67-69, LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 73-71-67, Yoshikazu HAKU (JPN) 72-66-73

212 – LEE Kyoung-hoon (KOR) 70-73-69, Koumei ODA (JPN) 70-71-71, Rory HIE (INA) 69-69-74

Indonesia Woos Qatar Travellers To Visit Jakarta

The Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office is promoting Jakarta in the Middle East as a tourist destination with golf as one of the main attractions. Read more here.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Rory Hie Maintains Pace At Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open

Osaka, September 27 - Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand soared into the lead after the halfway stage of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open when he sank a clutch birdie putt on the last hole on Friday.

The Thai, who started from the 10th tee, struggled to get his round going and needed a 15 footer birdie putt to send him to the top of the leaderboard at the Ibaraki Country Club.

He posted a one-under-par 70 to hold a one-shot lead from overnight leader Shingo Katayama of Japan, who struggled to a 73 at the Y150 million (approximately US$1.48 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

Tetsuji Hiratsuka of Japan, who won the 2011 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open, battled to a 66 to share third position with Masahiro Kawamura. Rory Hie (69) of Indonesia was a further shot back alongside Young Han Song (69) of Korea, Yoshikazu Haku (66) of Japan and Brad Kennedy (66) of Australia.

Pariya, ranked 15th on the Order of Merit, bogeyed three and six to slip down the leaderboard but bounced back brilliantly after some coaxing from his caddy.

“I left three or four putts short in my round, so on the last hole my caddy told me that I needed to hole the putt or he will throw me in the water! I thought I had left it short again but luckily it trickled into the hole,” Pariya laughed.

The Thai admits that he did not play spectacular golf on an ideal scoring day but was delighted to stay on track for a third Asian Tour win.

“It was a bit of a struggling round. I couldn’t get anything going. I didn’t do anything spectacular but I birdied the last hole (15 feet) so all was forgiven! I’m still in the mix and in with a chance. I’m a bit disappointed but not as much because I’m still up there,” he said.

Katayama, holder of 26 titles in Japan, failed to emulate his opening round magic when he stumbled to a 73 which included three birdies and five bogeys.

“I have no idea what happened. Yesterday I had a good round and I was feeling great but today it was just so bad. It is always tougher to play in the afternoon but I guess I need to hold my head high and look forward to the next two days,” said Katayama.

Indonesia’s Hie made four birdies in 12 holes but made bogeys on holes 15 and 16. He nearly dropped more shots on the last but saved the round with a splendid par save from the greenside bunker.

“I flopped my shot in the bunker and the ball ended up in the bunker again! I hit my next shot and holed it. That was an easy par!” joked Hie.

The halfway cut was set at three-over-par 145 with a total of 60 players making the weekend rounds.

Scores after round 2 of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic being played at the par 71, 7328 Yards Ibaraki Country Club course:

135 – Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA) 65-70

136 – Shingo KATAYAMA (JPN) 63-73

137 – Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 71-66, Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 69-68

138 – SONG Young-han (KOR) 69-69, Yoshikazu HAKU (JPN) 72-66, Rory HIE (INA) 69-69, Brad KENNEDY (AUS) 72-66, PARK Sung-Joon (KOR) 71-67

139 – LIU Yanwei (am, CHN) 72-67, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 72-67, Kazuhiko HOSOKAWA (JPN) 71-68, Y.E. YANG (KOR) 71-68, Michio MATSUMURA (JPN) 70-69

Flying Start For Rory Hie In Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open

Osaka, September 26 - Japanese star Shingo Katayama fired a flawless eight-under-par 63 to take a two-shot lead over Thailand’s Pariya Junhasavasdikul in the opening round of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open on Thursday.

The flamboyant Japanese, known as ‘Cowboy Shingo’ because of his distinctive cowboy hat, got off to a flying start when he birdied the opening three holes before adding five other birdies at the challenging Ibaraki Country Club.

Pariya, who won his second Asian Tour title in Malaysia in June, was equally impressive as he carded three birdies and one eagle in his first six holes before adding two more birdies against one bogey for a 65.

Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, Song Young-han of Korea and Rory Hie of Indonesia, who missed out on an Asian Tour card at Qualifying School earlier this year, was a further six shots back from Katayama at the Y150 million (approximately US$1.48 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

Katayama, who has won the Japan Golf Tour money list five times, continued his dominant form as he finished fourth and second in his last two events on home soil.

He has enjoyed much success in his career which includes winning 26 titles on the Japan Golf Tour but not since 2008. He hopes his new found confidence will guide him to another victory.

“I haven’t won in a while but if I do win then it will be like a new me. I won’t say that I’m returning to my best form. It is just a new Shingo Katayama. Now I’m focused on what’s in front of me and hopefully that feeling will last. I do not want to think about the future,” he smiled.

“When I played in the practice round yesterday, I was expecting a tough week because this is a tough course and the wind was blowing so strongly. So I’m quite lucky to shoot such a low score,” added Katayama, who made a 30-yard chip-in birdie on 11.

“I didn’t expect to shoot six-under because the wind was blowing quite strongly even at six in the morning. But when you make birdie, eagle and birdie in the first three holes, it makes things much easier,” said Pariya, who is a licensed pilot.Pariya’s decision to enjoy life and spend more time on quality practice is beginning to pay huge dividends as he continues to soar on the region’s premier Tour which is celebrating its 10th season in 2013.

“If you asked me what I did to improve, I’ll say that I enjoy my life a little bit more. I don’t take golf too seriously anymore. I practice less but put in quality practice instead of quantity,” said the Thai.

Hie sank a clutch eight foot par putt on the last hole to keep his score in the red. The young Indonesian qualified for the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open when he won the Road to Panasonic Open Series in Indonesia.

“I was really impressed with the way I played today. It was fun to play with the two Japanese stars Hideto Tanihara and Hiroyuki Fujita. The course was playing pretty tough. The windy was gutsy but thankfully I had a good caddy with me and we managed to play through it,” said Hie.

“I visited my coach (George Pinnell) in the summer and he helped improve on my putting. It wasn’t technique but more a mental aspect of how to visualize the ball rolling into the hole.”

The prestigious event is hosted by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation, Panasonic Corporation and Japan Golf Association.

Scores after round 1 of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Panasonic being played at the par 71, 7328 Yards Ibaraki Country Club course:

63 – Shingo KATAYAMA (JPN)

65 – Pariya JUNHASAVASDIKUL (THA)

69 – Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN), Rory HIE (INA), SONG Young-han (KOR)

70 – KIM Sung-yoon (KOR), Prayad MARKSAENG (THA), Koumei ODA (JPN), Yoshinori FUJIMOTO (JPN), Michio MATSUMURA (JPN), Koki FURUTA (am, JPN), LEE Kyoung-hoon (KOR), Taichi TESHIMA (JPN)

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Ria Bintan Open 2013 Presented By NIKE GOLF

Name : RIA BINTAN OPEN 2013 presented by NIKE GOLF
Venue : Ria Bintan Golf Club – Ocean Course
Date : 19 & 20 October 2013 (Saturday & Sunday)

LOCAL RULE
Use of Nike golf ball is compulsory in the tournament.

ENTRY FEE: S$405
Fee includes return ferry, 2 days tournament, tea reception on 18 October, prize presentation dinner on 20 October, Nike Golf goodie bag.

DIVISION & HANDICAP
· Men Division A: 6 & Below
· Men Division B: 7-12
· Men Division C: 13-20
· Ladies: 28 & Below

ACCOMMODATION (SINGLE/TWIN SHARING BASIS)
Ria Golf Lodge/Nirwana Resort Hotel: S$150 per room per night, inclusive breakfast

REGISTRATION
Limited to 150 players.
To register please download Entry Form at www.riabintan.com
Full details can be found at Ria Bintan website.

ENQUIRIES
Ms. Ruth
Tel. +65 6493 3165
Email: ruth@riabintan.co.id

Friday, September 20, 2013

Family Golf Day At Senayan National Golf Club

Senayan National Golf Club is pleased to invite you to participate in “FAMILY GOLF DAY” on Sunday, 22th September 2013. Tee-Off starts on 12.00 noon.

Fee for Junior 17-17 members & their parents: @ Rp. 260.000,- (include 1x meal) ;
Junior Non 17-17 members & their parents: @ Rp. 500.000,- (include 1x meal).

Transfer CIMB NIaga, Branch Tower Sudirman-Jakarta, Account: KSO Senayan National, no : 146.01.00283 00.2 content : Family Golf Day Tournament.

For more information, please contact Carmen/Harmen/Vely/Ota at (021)5710181.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Global Stars Sign Up For Indonesia Open

Jakarta, September 19 - Two-time Major champion Retief Goosen and three-time Tour winner Pablo Larrazabal will headline this year’s Indonesia Open where they will be joined by Asian Tour hero Thongchai Jaidee and local talent Rory Hie at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course at Damai Indah Golf from November 28 to December 1.

South African Goosen has enjoyed a solid year after returning in January from a five-month layoff due a back surgery. A two-time winner at the US Open in 2001 and 2004, he has amassed over 40 professional titles since turning professional in 1990 and was in the top-10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. Affectionately known as "The Iceman" due to his extremely calm demeanor, Goosen is no stranger to winning on the Asian Tour with four titles in the continent to his name.

“I have played in many tournaments in Asia over the years and always enjoyed my time in the region and playing in front of Asian fans who have always provided me with generous support. I haven’t played too much this year due to an injury but I am back on the course now and believe my game is in a good place, so I hope I will be amongst the leaders on the Sunday and perhaps have a chance of winning the title,” said Goosen.

The 43-year-old Thongchai, who won this prestigious tournament in 2009, is the highest ranked golfer from Southeast Asia on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and number two in Asia behind Japanese sensation, Hideki Matsuyama.

One of the most consistent Asian players on tour, Thongchai, the only man to win three Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, made the cut in his last two Majors at the Open Championship and PGA Championship and recorded a top 10 finish recently in Switzerland at the Omega European Masters. He is looking forward to playing in Asia again, where he won the Indonesia Open four years ago.

“I am very much looking forward to playing in Indonesia, back in Asia, as the season comes to a close. It has been a long year, a pretty consistent one for me, but I haven’t quite managed to finish in the winner’s circle and would very much like to do it in Indonesia. I have won there before, the weather conditions suit me and I have been playing well, so I feel I definitely have a genuine chance,” said the Thai.

Spanish star Larrazabal is looking to finish his year on a high after impressive seasons in 2011 and 2012, when he recorded two European Tour wins and two runner-up finishes respectively. Turning professional in 2004, the Barcelonian's three tour victories have all come on European soil, in Germany, France and Spain.

The local challenge will be spearheaded by Hie, who was ranked number one by the Indonesia PGA and was named Player of the Year for 2011 and 2012. Before turning professional in 2008, the Balikpapan-born player reached number six in the World Amateur Rankings and was the number one junior in the United States. He has posted impressive results this year, winning the 2013 Road to Panasonic Open Series and was runner up in the Asian Development Tour’s PGM-Terengganu Masters.

Indonesia’s national championship, the Persatuan Golf Indonesia (PGI), Asian Tour and IMPL signed a three-year agreement last December to hold the tournament from 2013 onwards with the main objectives to elevate the stature of the Indonesia Open, assist in the development of junior golf and promote Indonesia golf in view of the sport making a return to the Olympics in 2016.

Arifin Panigoro, Chairman of PGI said: “We are delighted to welcome world class players such as Retief Goosen, Thongchai Jaidee and Pablo Larrazabal to the 2013 Indonesia Open. Not only are they tremendous professional golfers who thrill the crowds with their skills on the fairway, they are true ambassadors of the sport, and I hope our young local talents will take this opportunity and learn from these three great individuals, on and off the course.”

The Indonesia Open, with a total prize fund of US$750,000 this year, was established in 1974 and boasts of a roll of honor that includes prominent names such as the late American Payne Stewart, Frank Nobilo of New Zealand, Filipino legend Frankie Minoza, Australia’s Craig Parry, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Chien-soon, Myanmar’s Mya Aye and Thai duo Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant, who are both Asian Tour Order of Merit champions.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Raja Ampat Golf

Between 2 and 27 August I traveled our incredible archipelago to play some serious golf with the Tscheschlok family - Ina, Edy and 18-year old son Janik and all three avid golfers from Stuttgart, Germany.

We traveled from Singapore, where they arrived, to Bintan and Surabaya and then on to Timika where we played the awesome Rimba Irian course. We then traveled to Jayapura to play the lovely 9-holes Cendrawasih course in Papua’s capital city. Then Sorong and Raja Ampat were on the schedule and we finished this golfing holiday in Makassar, where we played the incredibly beautiful course of Padivalley.

For the third straight year the Tscheschloks were back in Indonesia, the country that - as they themselves say - offers the best golf experience and most adventurous après golf option. During the last days of their 2012 Indonesia golfing holiday, they requested us to include some diving at the end of their 2013 golf trip. And so we planned a trip to Raja Ampat, in Papua - without doubt the world’s most remote and pristine diving location.

We spent 6 days at the Papua Diving Sorido Bay Resort at Cape Kri, a dive location that offers the world’s best house reef. An average of three dives a day at different locations genuinely showed the true beauty of Raja Ampat is all its colorful facets. The Tscheschloks were genuinely thrilled.

Golfers, however, remain golfers, and wherever they go they feel the itch of playing some golf or at least hitting some balls. For die-hard golfers, going for one week without feeling a golf club is hard to do. And as beautiful as Raja Ampat is, it goes without saying that it wasn’t going to be the place where we could play some golf anytime soon. Unless, that is, we create a place where we can hit some balls; and so we did!

About one mile in front of the bungalows that we were staying at, each day at low tide a genuine sand bank appeared. As this natural phenomenon remained there for the better part of 4 hours, one day we decided to head for that half-a-mile-long plot of sand and practice our bunker shots a bit.
In the picture above German junior golfer Janik Tscheschlok is seen on the sand bank in Raja Ampat and as the pictures turned out to be pretty amazing, I couldn’t resist sharing them with you.

Have great game and hit ‘m straight, on and off the course.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Rory Hie Just Outside Top Ten At Yeangder Tournament Players Championship

Taipei, September 15 - Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant rediscovered his best form when he won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) for an unprecedented 16th Asian Tour title on Sunday.

The reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, whose best result prior to this week was tied 28th in May, battled to a four-under-par 68 for a 13-under-par 275 total to win by one-shot at the US$500,000 Asian Tour event.

Overnight leader Kim, winner of the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January, led for most of the round but stumbled in the closing stretch when he made three straight bogeys from the 15th hole. He settled for second after shooting a 70 at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Angelo Que of the Philippines, a three-time Asian Tour winner, ended his campaign with a 66, the best round of the day, to finish lone third on 279 while Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang (67) was a further shot back.

Indonesia's top player Rory Hie finished in a tie for 12th. After scoring pars on the first three days, his final round 68 saw him finish with a total score of 4-under 284.

“I’m very proud because I can still win at the age of 46. I was really struggling with my irons but I chipped and putted so well. I honestly didn’t think that I could win,” said Thaworn, who also won the inaugural Yeangder TPC in 2010.

The Thai veteran traded two birdies and one bogey after four holes to trail Kim by three shots but recovered after a one-hour rain suspension with a pair of birdies on five and six. He added another birdie on 13 and cruised home to victory as Kim faded.

“Kim is such a powerful golfer and he had a lot of advantage on the par fives. I had to stay patient. I didn’t think I could have won and I would have been satisfied with second place. But he started to drop shots and all of a sudden I was in the lead and I won,” smiled Thaworn.

The powerful Kim was disappointed with his late collapse after he got off to a hot start when he eagled the first hole from three feet and added birdies on holes three, four and 10.

“I got a little greedy. I tried to get my ball out further so I could get a shorter club into the green. I think that’s something which I have to learn because all I had to do today was actually play a bit smarter. I will use this experience in my future tournaments,” said the disappointed 23-year-old Kim.

Chinese Taipei’s Chan, who won on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in Malaysia last week, continued his rich vein of form when he shot six birdies against two bogeys to emerge as the best local player.

“The win on the ADT last week gave me a great boost in confidence. I’ve been telling myself to find that winning form and reproduce it here this week. It motivates me to play well. My aim is to do well in the remaining half of the Asian Tour season,” said Chan.

Scores after round 4 of the Yeangder TPC being played at the par 72, 7125 Yards Linkou GCC course:

275 – Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 69-67-71-68

276 – Chan KIM (USA) 70-68-68-70

279 – Angelo QUE (PHI) 74-72-67-66

280 – CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) 71-71-71-67

281 – LU Chien-soon (TPE) 72-72-68-69, Chiragh KUMAR (IND) 68-69-74-70, BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR) 73-69-69-70, HSU Mong-nan (TPE) 69-68-71-73, YEH Wei-tze (TPE) 73-67-67-74

282 – Matthew STIEGER (AUS) 69-73-72-68, Berry HENSON (USA) 71-70-71-70

284 – Rory HIE (INA) 72-72-72-68, Gunn CHAROENKUL (THA) 72-75-67-70

Chihiro Ikeda Wins Inaugural Lydia Ivana Memorial Tourney's Skins Game

Jakarta, 15 September 2013 — Chihiro Ikeda lived up to the hype after she won 13 holes and was crowned queen of the Skins Game in the inaugural Lydia Ivana Memorial Golf Tournament at the Senayan National Golf Club.

Ikeda, Vietnamese Tang Thi-nung, Thai Nontaya Srisawang and local star Ines Putri, participated in the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) in the Skins Game (similar to match play) to honor Indonesia’s only woman professional Lydia Ivana Jaya, who died of pneumonia last July 17.
Left-to-right: Ines Putri, Tang Thi-nung, Chihiro Ikeda and Nontaya Srisawang pose before teeing off.

The Filipino-Japanese Ikeda was in fiery form all day at the short but challenging par-69 course, taking more than half of the holes, which carried a certain amount. She capped it by winning the final hole, worth 12 million rupiah.

The tournament, witnessed by Lydia Ivana’s parents, amassed a total of 150 million rupiah, including 10 million from the memorabilia auction, and will be turned over to the four foundations that Lydia Ivana supported.

Ikeda, who plays in the Philippine and Japan Golf Tours, represented the Lydia Ivana Golf Academy, with Tang for the Ebenhenzer Foundation, Nontaya for the Elang Muda Indonesia and Ines for the Sahabat Anak Foundation.

“LAGT is no longer the same without Lydia. She was very helpful and sometimes did the little things like buying me food or drink. She was that sweet,” said Ikeda, who was joined by national coach Bong Lopez.

Organizers of this tournament and the other golf clubs in Indonesia are already thinking of making this an annual event under the LAGT banner.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Garuda Indonesia Golf Loyalty Tournament

To show their appreciation to their loyal customers, Garuda Indonesia is organizing a series of golf tournaments under Garuda Indonesia Golf Loyalty Tournament 2013. This event is the only golf tournament in Indonesia with 10 cities participating in the series. The tournaments remaining schedule is:
The series started on May 19 and ends on September 2013. From each city, five finalists will be selected and sent to China to compete on October 5-9 for the final round. These finalists are the best of five categories, i.e. Best Gross Overall, Best Nett Overall, Best Nett Flight A, Best Nett Flight B, and Best Nett Flight C.

To compete in this Garuda Indonesia annual event, each participant must be a member of Garuda Frequent Flyer. The participants of this 4th Garuda Indonesia Golf Loyalty Tournament can redeem their mileages with special discounts for golf games. More than 2,500 participants from all over Indonesia are expected to take part in this tournament.

Dedicated to amateur players only, Garuda Indonesia has prepared a lot of prizes such as luxurious cars, a motorcycle, Business Class tickets and hotel vouchers. Each player will also be equipped with t-shirt, hat, umbrella etc. Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included in the package.

While competing in the tournament, do not forget to set aside some time to explore the participating city. Check out the nearest tourism attraction, try the most well-known local food and get to know more about the culture. Held in 10 (ten) cities, this tournament is the perfect opportunity for you to learn more about Indonesia, the country rich with awesomeness and delights.
To participate please contact:
Putri Reno NilamChristofel Recky Karouw
t (021) 2924 2062t (021) 2924 2028
m 0812 8693 0100m 0812 8652 6946
e enho_garuda@yahoo.com  e tofel.recky@gmail.com