Tuesday, December 24, 2013

New Development Planned For Anai Golf & Mountain Resort

The Riyadh Group is planning to further develop the Anai Golf & Mountain Resort located in Anai Valley, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra.

In the first phase the development of the project will require an investment of about Rp 1.5 trillion over a period of 5 years.

"The tourism industry in West Sumatra is growing in line with the growth of the national economy. The Anai Valley tourism area is also becoming a major tourist destination in West Sumatra." said Bally Saputra, President-Director of the Riyadh Group on Monday (22/12).

In a written statement, Bally says that Riyadh together with PT Andalas Anaipermai International have signed a memorandum of understanding for development of the Anai Golf & Mountain Resort.

The plan is to build a 1000-room hotel and a convention hall that accommodates 5000 people on the site. "This will help hotels in the neighborhood also to accommodate the additional flow of guests."

This integrated tourism resort covers 400 hectares at the base of Mt. Tandikat at a height of 600-700 meters above sea level, providing for a cool mountain climate.

The founder of Andalas Anaipermai, Siswono Yudo Husodo, states that West Sumatra is worthy to become Indonesia's second national holiday destination, after the island of Bali.

"These days the amount of people traveling for holidays is tremendous. West Sumatra has adequate resources to be a tourist destination besides Bali. Characteristic architecture, art, as well as cuisine found in West Sumatra have an excellence that will attract foreign tourists."

According to Siswono the West Sumatra government supports Anai Valley to become a tourist destination.

Monday, December 23, 2013

New Home For Indonesia PGA Championship In 2014

JAKARTA, Dec 18 - The Indonesia PGA Championship will be played at the Damai Indah Golf – Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) course for the first time next year as part of an exciting early-season swing on OneAsia.

The picturesque venue, the first Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Indonesia, will host the U.S. $1 million tournament from March 27 - 30, and for the second successive year will be joint sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

The tournament tees off a week after the Thailand Open, also a OneAsia and JGTO event, which will be played from March 13 to 16.

“Damai Indah Golf – Bumi Serpong Damai course is thrilled to welcome the 2014 Indonesia PGA Championship,” said Christine Wiradinata, Director, Damai Indah Golf.

“We are firmly established as one of Indonesia’s premier golf courses, well known for staging world class tournaments. Our Jack Nicklaus championship course will provide an outstanding layout for some of the world’s finest players.”

The brainchild of well-known Indonesian real estate developer and business baron Ir. Ciputra, Damai Indah Golf consists of two international championship courses in completely different and challenging surroundings. Bumi Serpong Damai — known to local golfers as "BSD" — is located in the West Java satellite city of the same name, while Pantai Indah Kapuk is along the Java Sea in North Jakarta.

BSD is situated alongside the impressive Cisadane River that is framed by the upmarket housing estates of Serpong.

“The Indonesia PGA Championship together with our friends at the Japan Golf Tour Organisation and the world class Damai Indah Golf course will combine to help launch another great year on OneAsia,” said OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sang Y. Chun.

Next year is the sixth season of OneAsia and marks the third staging of the Indonesia PGA Championship.

“This year the Japan Golf Tour Organisation enjoyed an excellent start to the season by joint-sanctioning the Indonesia PGA Championship and Thailand Open with OneAsia and we look forward to a repeat of this in 2014,” said Katsuji Ebisawa, Chairman, JGTO.

In March, Korean Choi Ho-sung survived a dramatic three-hour storm delay on the final hole and drained an eight-foot birdie putt for a two-stroke victory in the Indonesian PGA Championship at Emeralda Golf Club.

At the inaugural event in 2011, Australian Andre Stolz beat Indonesian number one Rory Hie by a shot at Imperial Klub Golf.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Little Glory For Indonesian Golfers At 27th SEA Games

Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, 18 Dec - The Indonesian golfers couldn't repeat the success of the previous SEA Games held 2 years ago in their home country, where the ladies won two golds (individual and team) and the men won a silver (team) and bronze (individual) medal, as this time around they had to be satisfied with a single bronze medal for the ladies individual event.

Men's team gold medal went to Thailand with a score of 838, silver to home team Myanmar (846) and bronze was for Malaysia (848). Indonesia men's team, consisting of William Sjaichudin, Kevin C. Akbar, Jordan Irawan and Syukrizal, finished in 5th place with a score of 864.

In the men's individual competition gold went to Dandthai Boonma from Thailand who beat Gavin Kyle Green from Malaysia in a playoff after both finished at 10-under par 278. Bronze medal went to Poom Saksansin (281). also from Thailand. Best Indonesian was William Sjaichudin (285) who tied for 9th, with Kevin C. Akbar (291) in 17th place, Jordan Irawan (293) in a tie for 18th and Syukrizal (296) in 24th place.

The ladies team gold medal this time was for the Philippines (428), silver once more to home team Myanmar (439) and bronze was for the Thai ladies (440). Both Indonesia and Malaysia just missed out on a medal finishing in a tie for 4th just one shot further back.

Ladies individual gold went to the Philippines as well, as 16-year old Princess Mary Supera crushed the competition with a score of 210, 6 shots ahead of silver medalist Yin May Myo from Malaysia (216). Tatiana Jaqueline Wijaya secured a bronze medal for Indonesia, just one shot further back. The other Indonesian ladies, Victoria Chanora (229) and Gavrilla Arya (234), finished in respectively a tie for 11th and a tie for 17th.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Rory Hie's Half Point Not Enough For Team Asia-Pacific To Retain Dongfeng Nissan Cup

SHENZHEN, Dec 15 - Team China made the best of atrocious weather on Sunday to pip an Asia-Pacific Select side 12 1/2 - 11 1/2 and win OneAsia’s Ryder Cup-style Dongfeng Nissan Cup for a first time.

It took the last putt of a gripping contest to decide the match in China’s favor, with the home team winning Sunday’s singles 7 - 5 after taking Saturday’s foursomes 4 - 2 and going down 4 1/2 - 1 1/2 in Friday’s fourball encounters.

The Dongfeng Nissan Cup pits 12 Asia-Pacific players against a China national team over three days of matchplay competition at the CTS Tycoon Golf Club. The visitors won the inaugural 2011 tournament 12 1/2 - 11 1/2, and retained the title last year with a 14 1/2 - 9 1/2 victory.

“I said last week that when it comes to golf, China has been asleep for 40 years -- but they have certainly woken up now,” said legendary five-time Open Champion Peter Thomson, captain of the Asia-Pacific Select side for a third year.

“I am very impressed with the progress they have made. They are ready to take on anyone.”

The importance of the win to Team China was obvious as they mobbed Su Dong (above) after he sank a nervy four-footer to halve the 18th and beat Scott Laycock by one.

Su had missed a similar-length sitter on the 17th that would have secured the win, while Laycock’s 20-footer on the last to force a tie and playoff, agonizingly shaved the hole.

“This was a really good win for us,” said Cheng Jun, Team China’s vice-captain.

“This is definitely the strongest Asia-Pacific side that we have faced in the three years of the tournament, so I am very proud that this team managed to beat them.”

Cheng said the weather definitely helped the home team, with cold rain drenching the course overnight and through most of the day.

“A lot of my players are from the north where it is already hard winter,” said Cheng. “This weather is nothing to them.”

Playing in the second flight, Wu Ashun drew first blood for the home side with a 4 & 3 victory against Michael Long, but the visitors swiftly cancelled that when Masimichi Uehira beat Wang Minghao 3 & 1 -- an eagle on the par-four 17th underlining his dominance.

Choi Ho-sung and Huang Wenyi’s match was the first to go the distance and looked a likely Asia-Pacific win after Huang put his second into the water left of the 18th green and Choi safely found the middle. After dropping into an awkward lie, however, Huang brilliantly holed his fourth, while Choi could only two-putt for a half.

Filipino-American Eric Mina battled hard against Yan Bin in the next match, but had no answer to the seven birdies his opponent made in 15 holes and went down 4 & 3.

Thaworn Wiratchant simply wasn’t comfortable in the conditions and became a prize scalp for 16-year-old amateur Dou Zecheng in losing 4 & 3. The Thai ace, who was winning tournaments before Dou was even born, gave full credit to his young opponent, saying he had a bright future ahead.

Once Kazuhiro Yamashita — one of two Japan Tour regulars in the Asia-Pacific side — had dispatched Li Xinyang 2 & 1, China led 10 - 9 with five matches on the go.

Choo Tze-huang, Rory Hie and Matthew Griffin all secured halves for the visitors under different circumstances from Wu Kangchun, Huang Mingji and Zhang Lianwei respectively before Gareth Paddison despatched Li Chao 2 & 1 to tie the contest.

The beefy Su, playing in short-sleeves as if in the tropics, then gave the hardy China fans a pre-Christmas treat with his par on the last that delivered the trophy to the home team for the first time.

Results of Sunday’s singles matches between Team China and an Asia-Pacific Select side at OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup being played at the CTS Tycoon Club in Shenzhen (Team China names first):

Team China 12 1/2, Asia Pacific Select 11 1/2

Wang Minghao lost to Masimichi Uehira 3 & 1

Wu Ashun bt Michael Long 4 & 3

Huang Wenyi halved with Choi Ho-sung

Yang Guanming bt Kim Dae-sub by one

Yan Bin bt Eric Mina 4 & 3

Dou Zecheng bt Thaworn Wiratchant 4 & 3

Li Xinyang lost to Kazuhiro Yamashita 2 & 1

Wu Kangchun halved with Choo Tze-huang

Huang Mingjie halved with Rory Hie

Zhang Lianwei halved with Matthew Griffin

Su Dong bt Scott Laycock by one

Li Chao lost to Gareth Paddison 2 & 1

Monday, December 16, 2013

Rory Hie Brings In Another Win For Team Asia-Pacific At Dongfeng Nissan Cup

SHENZHEN, Dec 14 - Team China dug deep on Saturday to get the better of an Asia-Pacific Select side in the foursomes matches of OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup, and go into Sunday’s singles round just a point behind in pursuit of their first win.

The Asia-Pacific side lead 6 1/2 - 5 1/2 after clinching Friday’s fourball matches 4 1/2 - 1 1/2 and going down 2 - 4 in Saturday’s foursome clashes of the Ryder-Cup style tournament at CTS Tycoon Club in Shenzhen.

The Dongfeng Nissan Cup pits 12 Asia-Pacific players against a China national team over three days of matchplay competition. The visitors won the inaugural 2011 tournament 12 1/2 - 11 1/2, and retained the title last year with a 14 1/2 - 9 1/2 victory.

Veterans Zhang Lianwei and Huang Wenyi, paired again after their opening fourball win, set the pace from the start on Saturday by hammering Scott Laycock and Michael Long 5 & 4.

They only needed a par on the first to go ahead, but three birdies on the trot put them well in control and they were five up after five and cruising.

China’s gamble on changing all their other pairings -- the visitors kept their combinations the same -- paid off handsomely.

Eric Mina and Choo Tze-huang, the only Asia-Pacific pair to lose on Friday, looked to be making amends by turning four up against Yang Guanming and Yan Bin in the second match, but the Szechuan pair turned as hot as their home province’s famed spicy food, and they won five-in-a-row from the 13th to triumph 2 & 1.

The Southeast Asian pairing of Thaworn Wiratchant and Rory Hie looked comfortable for most of the day after starting birdie-birdie against Huang Mingjie and Wu Kangchun before easing to a 3 & 2 victory.

Su Dong and 16-year-old amateur Dou Zecheng didn’t have to do much in their 3 & 1 win against Choi Ho-sung and Kim Dae-sub as the Korean pair just couldn’t get it together and posted seven bogeys or worse before shaking hands.

Match five proved the most exciting of the day with Wu Ashun and Wang Minghao going toe-to-toe with the Japanese pair of Kazuhiro Yamashita and Masimichi Uehira all the way to the 18th before winning one up, with the lead changing hands four times.

The Asia-Pacific Select side grabbed a crucial second point in the final match courtesy of some more deadly putting from 2013 OneAsia Order of Merit champion Matt Griffin who snatched a half on Friday with a 60-footer on the last.

Paired again with Gareth Paddison, Griffin missed a 40-footer by a hair on the 15th before draining a 35-footer on the next hole to secure a 3 & 2 win against Liu Cha and Li Xinyang.

China vice-captain Cheng Jun was full of praise for the way his side battled back.

“It's a good match for Team China today,” he said. “It was a good and aggressive beginning, very stable, and then (the others) cooperated well later. Today's results went just like we planned.”

Asia-Pacific Select vice-captain Scott Laycock said the stage was set for a gripping day of singles on Sunday.

“It went our way yesterday but today it was all about Team China,” he said.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Rory Hie Helps Bring In Point As Asia-Pacific Takes Dongfeng Nissan Cup Lead

SHENZHEN, Dec 13 - An Asia-Pacific Select side seeking a third win in-a-row eased on Friday to a 4 1/2 - 1 1/2 lead against Team China after the opening round of OneAsia’s Ryder-Cup style Dongfeng Nissan Cup at the CTS Tycoon Club.

Veterans Zhang Lianwei and Huang Wenyi were the only Chinese pair to prevail on a day of fourball action that belonged to the visitors, although Su Dong and 16-year-old amateur Dou Zecheng looked to have their game in the bag on the 18th until Matthew Griffin drained a 60-foot birdie putt to steal a half with Gareth Paddison.

The Dongfeng Nissan Cup pits 12 Asia-Pacific players against a China national team over three days of matchplay competition. The visitors won the inaugural 2011 tournament 12 1/2 - 11 1/2, and retained the title last year with a 14 1/2 - 9 1/2 victory.

Scott Laycock and Michael Long got the Asia-Pacific select side off to the best possible start with a 7 & 6 thrashing of Wu Ashun and Wu Kangchun.

One up after five, the Asia-Pacific pair turned on the heat to take the next six holes, with Laycock in particular showing great form.

The Australian is also vice-captain, so the early finish gave him the chance to get back out on the course and show his team-mates the way home.

“It’s not over by a long way,” Laycock said afterwards.

“With matchplay anything can happen and the scores don’t really reflect how hard the Chinese players pushed us.”

Zhang and Huang were never behind against Choo Tze-huang and Eric Mina and led by four after nine holes, but stuttered down the final straight before winning 2 & 1.

The third match proved the most exciting of the day with Rory Hie and Thaworn Wiratchant trading birdies with Yang Guanming and Yan Bin until clinching the match one up.

“We were actually six under for the day and only won one up,” said Hie. “We couldn’t shake them off.”

The Korean pairing of Kim Dae-sub and Choi Ho-sung disposed of Li Chao and Huang Mingjie 4 & 2 and the Japanese duo of Masamichi Uehira and Kazuhiro Yamashita sent Wang Mingao and Li Xinyang packing 4 & 3.

Not surprisingly, the Asia-Pacific Select side chose to keep their pairings the same for Saturday’s foursomes, while Team China is ringing the changes.

“It felt we were like high school players up against college students,” said China vice-captain Cheng Jun.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

ADT Season Finale To Take Place In Jakarta

Jakarta, December 11 - The final battle for the top-three positions on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit will be determined at the season-ending Jakarta Invitational next month.

Tournament promoters, OB Golf Events have announced that the inaugural Jakarta Invitational will offer a prize pot of US$60,000 and will be held at the Faldo designed, Jababeka Golf & Country Club, Jakarta from January 8 to 11.

With the launch of the inaugural Jakarta Invitational, the 2013 ADT Schedule will close with a record 16 events in Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The top players on the ADT Order of Merit including James Bowen of the United States, Iain Steel of Malaysia, Lindsay Renolds of Canada and Grant Jackson of England are expected to headline the event.

Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han expressed his delight on the newest event joining the ADT which started to offer Official World Golf Ranking points in 2013.

“On behalf of the ADT, I would like to welcome the inaugural Jakarta Invitational onto our 2013 Schedule. I’m delighted that we are witnessing such a positive growth on the ADT which initially started with five events in its first year in 2010,” said Han.

“There are a lot of young talents in the region and it is our fervent hope that these players can harness and nurture their games on the ADT before taking it to a higher level on the premier Asian Tour. Nicholas Fung is a fine example of a player who has enjoyed success on the ADT and will now be part of the elite field on the Asian Tour.

“Through our world ranking status, our ADT players will have a chance to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. We hope that the presence of the Jakarta Invitational in Indonesia will provide an impetus to the younger generation of golfers in Indonesia to showcase their talents and aim for a victory,” added Han.

There will be much to play for in the final event as Bowen, Steel, Renolds and Jackson, ranked second, third, fourth and fifth on the Order of Merit respectively, jostle for elusive playing rights on the 2014 Asian Tour season.

Current Order of Merit leader Nicholas Fung of Malaysia used his experience of playing on the ADT to good effect when he secured his Asian Tour card for next season by finishing inside the top-60 on the region’s premier Tour’s Merit list. He finished top-10 at the Resorts World Manila Masters and then tied second at the Indonesia Open to move up to 38th position on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Fung’s success on the Asian Tour means that the next best three players on the ADT will stand a chance to earn a card for the new season. Bowen has a season’s haul of US$38,444 while Steel is third with US$36,623.

Renolds sits in fourth place, just a little over US$1,000 behind Steel while Jackson is fifth with US$27,180.

The ADT was launched in 2010 with five tournaments before growing to eight in 2011 and 13 last year.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Disaster Hits For Rory Hie In Final Round Of Indonesia Open At Pantai Indah Kapuk

Jakarta, December 1 - Gaganjeet Bhullar dominated the Indonesia Open after shooting a flawless three-under-par 68 to win his first Asian Tour title in 2013 by three shots on Sunday.

The talented Indian opened with 10 straight pars but displayed a gutsy back nine performance highlighted by three birdies to complete a sensational wire-to-wire triumph at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

Malaysian rising star Nicholas Fung contended for the title before finishing tied second on 66 with Chapchai Nirat of Thailand, who shot two eagles today, at the Pantai Indah Kapuk Course at Damai Indah Golf.

Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh ended his campaign with a 67 in solo fourth on 272 while Jyoti Randhawa (69) of India was a further shot back. Young Thai Jazz Janewattananond, the co-leader at the start of the day, returned with a disappointing 74 to finish tied sixth, but the 18-year-old earned plaudits by the Asian Tour stars for his battling performance.

The final round ended in a disaster for Indonesia's top player Rory Hie, who saw a good placement and securing his tour card for next year disappear after finishing the round in 8 over par. A double bogey on 8 and triple bogey on 9 contributed to a dismal 6-over on the front 9 alone, and his inability to score a birdie on the final day meant he dropped from a share of 5th to a very disappointing tie for 41st. Indonesia's Jordan Irawan (74) was the best amateur in 65th place, in front of Maan Nasim (73) in 71st, while the other amateurs William Sjaichudin (77) and Tirto Tamardi (76) closed the field in 73rd and 74th respectively.

At the end of 18 holes, it was Bhullar who was the last man standing. He got off to a slow start but picked up pace when the field, which included a fast charging Siddikur, Jazz and Fung, edged closer and threatened to overtake him.
Gaganjeet Bhullar holding the trophy after winning the Indonesia Open 2013.

A birdie on 11 was the turning point in his round which led to two more birdies on holes 13 and 14. His momentum came to halt when inclement weather suspended play for over an hour but he returned with four pars to clinch his fifth Asian Tour title.

"I gave myself a lot of opportunities in the first nine holes but I misjudged my yardages on a few holes. Apart from that, there was no difference in my strategy. Winning takes a lot of patience. I'm glad I stayed patient and showed a lot of confidence."

"It was kind of difficult for me when play was suspended. I find it hard to go back to my momentum. But I guess these kind of scenarios are common in Asia. We just have to accept it as it is," said Bhullar, who took home the winner's prize purse of US$135,000.

The victory was also a welcome return to form for the Indian who struggled in the last six months and finished last at the World Cup of Golf in Australia last week.

"I haven't had much success this season but I know my game was up there and winning is just a matter of time. I waited so long for my fifth win and this is my 10th consecutive event. Mentally, I was exhausted but Indonesia is one of my favourite cities as I won my first title on the Asian Tour here," said Bhullar.

The bespectacled Fung turned in 32 to raise his hopes of winning his first Asian Tour title before running out of holes. The 23-year-old settled for tied-second, which is his best Asian Tour result since finishing tied fifth in Manila two weeks ago.

Despite his defeat, Fung held his head high after a worthy performance that was highlighted by a superb 30-yard bunker shot from the edge of the 17th green which resulted in a two feet birdie.

"I'm extremely happy with my performance this week. It's really good to see my name up on the leaderboard amongst the other experienced players," said the Fung, hailed as one of the most talented players from Malaysia.

"During the rain suspension, I checked my phone and was overwhelmed with tons of messages from my friends and family, as well as my supporters. I felt really encouraged and I'm glad I didn't disappoint them," he smiled.

Chapchai, a three-time Asian Tour winner, remains confident that he still has what it takes to end a four-year title drought on the region's premier Tour which is celebrating its 10th season in 2013. His runner-up finish was his best result this year.

"I'm very happy with my round. I'm very hungry for a victory. I'm getting closer to it. I can really feel it. The win is coming soon."

"I made a few mistakes after my first eagle and I was so angry with myself. I gave my tee shot on the 17th hole a 100% effort and my seven iron approach landed 20 feet from the hole. I had a lot of time to think about that putt during the weather delay and made it when play resumed," smiled Chapchai.

The 39th edition of Indonesia's national championship, which has a rich and illustrious history dating back to its first edition in 1974, is the nation's oldest golf tournament.

The 2013 Indonesia Open is supported by some of the most recognisable domestic and international brands, which include BANK BRI, Total E&P Indonesie, Japfa, PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, JS Luwansa Hotel & Convention Center, Pertamina, Harum Energy, Bintang, Sequislife, Subway, Beringer, Mazda, Srixon, Loewe, Danone, Hypernet, Ricoh, White Horse and Maui Jim.

Scores after round 4 of the Indonesia Open 2013 being played at the par 71, 7100 Yards Damai Indah GC course (a- denotes amateur):

268 - Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 64-67-69-68

271 - Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66-67-72-66, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 67-67-71-66

272 - Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 71-65-69-67

273 - Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 69-70-65-69

274 - Antonio LASCUNA (PHI) 74-65-67-68, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 71-68-67-68, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 70-64-69-71, Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 66-66-68-74

275 - Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 67-66-71-71, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 67-67-68-73

Selected:

283 - Rory HIE (INA) 68-68-68-79

289 - Jordan IRAWAN (A) (INA) 70-71-74-74

292 - Maan NASIM (INA) 72-71-76-73

294 - William SJAICHUDIN (A) (INA) 74-68-75-77

297 - Tirto TAMARDI (A) (INA) 71-71-79-76

Monday, December 2, 2013

Hie In Contention At Indonesia Open

Jakarta, November 30 - Rory Hie kept up his hopes of winning the prestigious Indonesia Open title when he shot a three-under-par 68 to trail co-leaders Gaganjeet Bhullar and Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand by four shots on Saturday.

The local star marked his card with five birdies against two bogeys for a three-day total of nine-under-par 204 to share fifth place with India’s Jyoti Randhawa, who returned with the day’s lowest score of 65, and Thailand’s Prom Meesawat (71) at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course at the Damai Indah Golf.

Hie, who capped two top-20 finishes on the Asian Tour this year, was delighted to put himself in a strong position to seal a dream victory in his National Open.

“It was exactly what I was looking for. I think I made up some ground to give myself a better chance going into the last round. That’s all I can ask for which is to get a chance to win my national Open,” said the 25-year-old Hie.

“I feel like I want to win more than anyone out there in the field because it is my National Open. I felt like I’ve taken another step in my mental approach to the game this week. There were times when I felt like it is getting away from me but I kept reminding myself to keep playing and keep going. Hopefully I can win tomorrow,” he added.

Hie was also proud with the performance of three local amateurs, Jordan Irawan (74), William Sjaichudin (75) and Tirto Tamardi (79), who made the halfway cut and is currently ranked in 60th, 69th and 74th position respectively.

“It is good news to see three amateurs made the cut because it shows that Indonesian juniors are playing well and growing as a nation in golf. Hopefully we will see more good players come out,” added the local talent.

Currently 89th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Hie will be aiming for a good finish to boost his rankings on the Order of Merit as the top-60 players at the end of the season will earn full play rights on the Asian Tour.

Scores after round 3 of the Indonesia Open 2013 being played at the par 71, 7100 Yards Damai Indah GC course (a- denotes amateur):

200 – Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 66-66-68, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 64-67-69

202 – Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 67-67-68

203 – Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 70-64-69

204 – Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 69-70-65, Rory HIE (INA) 68-68-68, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 67-66-71

205 – Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 71-65-69, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 67-67-71, Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66-67-72

Selected:

215 - Jordan IRAWAN (A) (INA) 70-71-74

217 - William SJAICHUDIN (A) (INA) 74-68-75

219 - Maan NASIM (INA) 72-71-76

221 - Tirto TAMARDI (A) (INA) 71-71-79

Amateurs Shine In Second Round Of Indonesia Open At Pantai Indah Kapuk

Jakarta, November 30 - Gaganjeet Bhullar birdied the last for a second round four-under-par 67 to hold a one shot lead over an in-form Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand at the Indonesia Open on Saturday.

The talented Indian returned early morning to finish two holes in round two after play was suspended due to inclement weather yesterday at the Pantai Indah Kapur course at Damai Indah Golf.

Bhullar, who won his first of four Asian Tour titles in Indonesia in 2009, totalled 11-under-par 131 while Jazz birdied 17 for a 66 to stay in the hunt for his first victory on the region’s premier Tour which is celebrating its 10th season in 2013.

Nicholas Fung of Malaysia charged into contention with a 67 to share third alongside Prom Meesawat of Thailand at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.

Thai titans Thaworn Wiratchant and Thongchai Jaidee, who have a combined total of five Asian Tour Order of Merit crowns, were a further three shots back in tied fifth alongside Chapchai Nirat after shooting 64, 67 and 67 respectively.

Indonesia's Rory Hie kept up the pressure with another round of 68, which kept him in a share of 8th. Meanwhile not less then 3 of Indonesia's amateurs managed to make the cut, with Jordan Irawan (71) in 40th and William Sjaichudin (68) and Tirto Tamardi (71) in a share of 51th place. The only other Indonesian player to make the cut was Maan Nasim (71) who finished the day in a tie for 60th.

Ranked sixth on the Order of Merit, Bhullar, who will take aim at his first Asian Tour win said: “This is Mother Nature and you can’t control it. I’m still playing well and my confidence is up there.”

The halfway cut at the Indonesia Open was set at two-over-par 144 with a total of 75 players making the last two round.

Scores after round 2 of the Indonesia Open 2013 being played at the par 71, 7100 Yards Damai Indah GC course (a- denotes amateur):

131 – Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 64-67

132 – Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) 66-66

133 – Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 67-66, Nicholas FUNG (MAS) 66-67

134 – Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 70-64, Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) 67-67, Chapchai NIRAT (THA) 67-67

136 – KIM Gi-whan (KOR) 68-68, Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 69-67, Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 71-65, Rory HIE (INA) 68-68

137 – Retief GOOSEN (RSA) 72-65, Mardan MAMAT (SIN) 68-69, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 69-68

Selected:

141 - Jordan IRAWAN (A) (INA) 70-71

142 - William SJAICHUDIN (A) (INA) 74-68, Tirto TAMARDI (A) (INA) 71-71

143 - Maan NASIM (INA) 72-71

CUT

145 - Fahmi REZA (A) (INA) 71-74, George GANDRANATA (INA) 71-74

146 - Andik MAULUDIN (INA) 71-75, Denny A. WIJAYA (INA) 74-72

148 - Fadhli R. SOETARSO (A) (INA) 76-72, Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA) 75-73, Kevin C. AKHBAR (A) (INA) 75-73, Johannes DERMAWAN (INA) 73-75

149 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA) 72-77

150 - Benny KASIADI (INA) 80-70, Indra HERMAWAN (INA) 73-77

151 - K. Soewarno (INA) 75-76, Asep SUGANDA (INA) 77-74

152 - Hendri NASIM (INA) 72-80

153 - Jamel ONDO (INA) 75-78, Ilyasyak (INA) 75-78, Aria KAMSURI (INA) 77-76

155 - Ujang ZAREM (A) (INA) 81-74, Nasin SURACHMAN (INA) 75-80

157 - Theodore RAHARDJA (A) (INA) 80-77

159 - Asep SAEFULLOH (INA) 80-79

160 - Kurnia Herisiandy SANTOSO (INA) 81-79, Joshua Andrew WIRAWAN (A) (INA) 80-80

164 - S Syukrizal (A) (INA) 86-78

79 - Ian ANDREW (INA) 79-RTD