Thursday, October 31, 2013

Indonesia Open Plays Major Role In Developing Talent Says Rory Hie

Jakarta, October 30 - Rory Hie, Indonesia’s number one golfer who recently confirmed his participation at the 2013 Indonesia Open, believes the prestigious championship plays a major role in developing local and regional talents and keeps the sport front of mind amongst the general public in his home country.

Having turned professional in 2008 after a successful amateur career, the 25-year-old is beginning to make his mark on the Asian Tour and hopes to mount a serious challenge at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course at Damai Indah Golf from November 28 to December 1. He hopes by doing well, he can raise the profile of golf in Indonesia and inspire more of his fellow countrymen to take up the sport.

“The Indonesia Open is our National Championship and it is my Major of the year. This event has been around for a very long time so it has a lot of history and heritage associated with it and people do take note on who are playing, so it definitely creates a lot of interest. I hope I can keep playing well, and hopefully kids will look at golf as a fun sport, and take it up professionally.

“The Indonesia Open does a lot to develop up-and-coming talents. For many of the local young players, this event provides the best opportunity for them to compete with, and learn from, the very best in the world. I have learned a lot from being in contention at the Indonesia Open two years ago and it was a priceless experience for me because it certainly helped me get to where I am today with my career,” Hie added.

Joining Hie at this year’s Indonesia Open will be two-time Major champion Retief Goosen, three-time Tour winner Pablo Larrazabal and 2009 Indonesia Open winner Thongchai Jaidee.

Fans from around the world can enjoy these world class golfers in action in Jakarta through television coverage that will be broadcast live on the Asian Tour Media platform. Asian Tour Media will produce 16 hours of live coverage from the event which will be seen across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America plus further coverage and distribution generated via the highlights and magazine programmes from the event, resulting in global media exposure for all the sponsors involved in this prestigious tournament.

Arifin Panigoro, Chairman of PGI, said: “We are less than a month away from the Indonesia Open and the countdown to this exciting event is really on now. We are delighted with the quality of the field and it is always exciting to have a Major Champion and a local hero in the line up. TV coverage for the tournament is truly global this year, which means fans from around the world will not only be able to see top class golf action but also the true beauty of Jakarta as a city.”

Established in 1974, the US$750,000 event 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.

The 2013 Indonesia Open is supported by some of the most recognisable domestic and international brands, which include BANK BRI, Total E&P Indonesie, PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, JS Luwansa, Bintang, Subway, Danone, Srixon and Maui Jim.

For more details on the 2013 Indonesia Open, please visit the official tournament website www.indonesiaopen.net or its Facebook page www.facebook.com/indonesiaopengolf.

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