Impression Of The She's Mercedes Ladies Golf Tournament

Usually, in Indonesia, lady golfers play a minor role in amateur golf tournaments. Mostly these tournaments are dominated by men participants. However, this morning, 8 December, 2016, uniquely, and for the very first time, golfing ladies in Indonesia were competing in an "all ladies" golf tournament, and in which men were excluded and thus played no role at all.

Organized by Mercedes Benz Indonesia and promoted by Image Dynamics under the all encompassing title SHE'S MERCEDES LADIES GOLF TOURNAMENT 2016, the tournament was held at the Pondok Indah Golf Club.

It was officially opened by Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia President & CEO, Roelof Lamberts. Every picture attached here tells a unique story, and no one seems to have any doubt that this (rather unique) initiative may well become a yearly fixture on the Indonesia's amateur golf tournament calendar.

Roelof Lamberts, President & CEO Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia, makes the opening tee shot at the She's Mercedes Ladies Golf Tournament

Hari Arifianto, Deputy Director Marketing Communication Mercedes-Benz Indonesia (left), & Roelof Lamberts, President & CEO Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia (right), pose with the participants of the She's Mercedes Ladies Golf Tournament

Roelof Lamberts, President & CEO Mercedes-Benz Distribution Indonesia, poses with some of the participants of the She's Mercedes Ladies Golf Tournament at Pondok Indah Golf Course

Jordan Irawan Collects His First Professional Title At Sawangan GC

Sawangan, February 18th - Series I of the Indonesian Golf Tour (IGT) always has produced a new face in the list of champions. This time, Jordan Surya Irawan carved his name as a champion in Series I of the Indonesian Golf Tour 2016 co-presented by OB Sports Golf and Ancora.

Jordan scored his first professional title after ending the game in the last round with a score of 71 (one-under par), thus accumulating a total score of 212 (four-under par). The 20-year-old golfer played only one shot less than Rifqi Alam, who nudged into second position.

"This is a positive result of what I have already applied for three days. Control my emotions, befriend the pressure. I have achieved the best results without being burdened with a variety of things that would damage my game," said Jordan. The mental fight was then won by Jordan who collected Rp34 million as prize money for his success in winning the Indonesian Golf Tour Series I 2016, which was held at Sawangan Golf Club.

In addition to mental pressure from within, Jordan, who made three birdies and two bogeys in the final round, also had to deal with the persistence of Rinaldi Adiyandono, Benita Y. Kasiadi, and Ian Andrew who were in pursuit. Rinaldi was at the 13th hole level with Jordan, who was two groups behind him, at the top of the leaderboard with a total score of 4 under. Unfortunately, a double bogey on hole 14 directly dropped Rinaldi to a tie for third until the last hole.

Benita, who played just in front of the group with Rinaldi, was sticking closely to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 3-under total until the 15th hole. However, he was not able to gain ground on the last three holes and even had to concede a bogey on hole 18. Eventually he had to be satisfied with a T-3 position with Rinaldi and Kurnia Herisiandy.

"Today my shots were not good. Many opportunities were wasted," said the winner of three IDT titles in 2015.

Ian played like crazy for 17 holes without a single bogey with a total score of 3-under, while taking the fight for top spot to a very tight battle. But just like Benita, Ian made a costly mistake on the final hole and ended up with a double bogey.

Rifqi Alam actually had a surprise showing. After successfully maintaining a consistent game for two days with a total score of 1-under, the amateur athlete from Jakarta slowly climbed towards the top of the leaderboard.

After completing the first nine holes with a total score of two under by making three birdies and two bogeys, Rifqi went to 3 under at hole 10, only to be back to 2 under in hole 11. The 18-year-old finally locked his score to 3-under on hole 17, which put him in second place overall while winning "the Low Amateur".

"My game was starting to feel comfortable after hole 5. This result is my best achievement in IGT. My participation in this event is to improve my skills and score more rounds under par," said the Junior National Championship winner in 2015, who participated a couple of times in IGT 2015.

Meanwhile, Juriah had confirmed herself as the Low Ladies Amateur. The athlete from Jakarta finished the third round with a score of 72 (even par) and a total score of 220 (four above par).

"Because I was already certain to be champion, at the end I focused more on improving my score. My target was to play under par, but clearly I missed this target. Besides this, it was a test for my stamina to play three days in a row."

Ian Andrew Claims Victory After Playoff At The Grand Final Of The Indonesian Golf Tour

Karawaci, 10 December - The final round of the Grand Final of the 2015 Indonesian Golf Tour (IGT) presented by LINC Group really presented a fight that could be considered the "peak" of the IGT journey during the year. The Grand Final champion could only be determined after extended drama (play-off). The actors being Benita Y. Kasiadi, Ian Andrew, and 2014 champion Rinaldi Adiyandono. All three had an equal score of 208 (eight-under par) after completing the final round, therefore a play-off was unavoidable.

Ian Andrew eventually established himself as the champion of the Grand Final of the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by LINC Group in 2015, held at Imperial Klub Golf, Karawaci Tangerang. A birdie from a distance of about two meters established the 27-year-old golfer as Indonesia's best golfer this season, while Benita and Rinaldi were only able to make par.

"I intentionally attacked the pin at the third shot, because I could Benita's ball was just half a meter from the pin. But, as it turned out my ball fell in front of the pin. Therefore, I was forced to attempt to make a birdie, and it worked!" said Ian, who was determined to win this Grand Final.

Ian completed the last round with a score of 70 (two-under par), maintaining his position atop the leaderboard that he shared with Rinaldi in the second round. However, Ian admitted he was worried to see Benita's game during the final round.

"At 17 I already lost hope, when I made bogey and Rinaldi scored birdie, leaving me behind by one stroke of Benita and Rinaldi who both were at eight-under par. They had a chance (to win) at hole 18, I was just determined to make birdie on the final hole. Fortunately, they failed to birdie the hole," said Ian, who took home a cash prize of Rp 48.000.000. "But Benita was remarkable today. He should have scored at least 10-under par. Unfortunately for him some of his short putts did not go in."

It looked like Benita played flawless. Without scoring a single bogey, the winner of three titles at the IGT 2015 series could match the total score of Ian and Rinaldi after carding a round of 66 (six-under par).

"My goal today was to finish at eight-under par. Therefore my target was reached. I didn't think of becoming champion as the second day I played very poorly. That's why I did not set that target. When I could compete for the play-offs, I thought this to be my best achievement after successfully reaching my target of eight-under par," said Benita.

Rinaldi, who failed to defend his title in the Grand Final, was not too disappointed with the final result at the play-offs, although he had a great opportunity to win. He considered the Grand Final as a try out for himself before plunging to the level of the Asian Tour next season.

"This becomes my stepping stone, because my main target is the Asian Tour Q-School in Thailand. This tournament can forge me mentally as well as my game, so that I can reach my peak at the time of Q-School," said Rinaldi.

He therefore was happy that Ian could win the Grand Final. For him, this indicates that the ability of several national professional golfers started to become more evenly, so that winners are not limited to one or two people. He saw his and other golfers overall score has improved in the past year.

"In my opinion, the implementation of IGT last season started a process of which we can see the results in improvements this season. As golfer we become more mature, and our competitive spirit becomes more visible," he added.

In addition to the announcement of the winner, during the Grand Final of the 2015 Indonesian Golf Tour (IGT) presented by LINC Group awards were also to the sponsors and golf courses that have supported the smooth implementation of the IGT season 2015. Some media also received attention and awards for their coverage of IGT 2015,

In the amateur category, Cahyo Adhitomo finally won the low amateur. The excellent play Cahyo displayed the day before did not make him waste this opportunity. On the final day Bobby, as he is usually called, completed his round with a score of 71 (one-under par), for an accumulated score of 215 (one-under par). Cahyo outperformed runner-up Dicky Prionggo by seven shots.

While for the ladies amateurs, Putri Aisha Amani won the battle with Michela Tjan through count back, and won the Low Amateur for ladies. Putri, who posted a score of 79 (seven over par) and Michela who today played with a score of 80 equally accumulated a total score of 239 (23-over par). The winner was decided by count back, based on final day scores made by both players over a number of predetermined holes.

IGT 2015 Grand Final Kicks Off At Imperial Klub Golf

The Grand Final of the Indonesian Golf Tour 2015 presented by Linc Group will start tomorrow Tuesday 8 December 2015 at Imperial Klub Golf, Karawaci - Tangerang. The three day event, sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Indonesia, will determine who will be crowned the 2015 IGT Champion on Thursday 10 December.

The 30 highest ranked professional players of the IGT will battle to determine who will succeed Rinaldi Adiyandono, who claimed the title last year. They will be accompanied by 9 men amateur players as well as 6 ladies amateur players.

The 30 professional players will be guaranteed a split of the total prize money of IDR 300,000,000, while the 3 highest ranked players will get the opportunity to play on the Asian Development Tour in 2016.

Gavrilla Ayra Signs With Wichita State Athletics

WICHITA, Kansas, USA – Wichita State women’s golf has signed Gavrilla Ayra to a national letter of intent in the early signing period, Head Coach Tom McCurdy announced on Nov. 20.

“Gavrilla is a really solid player,” McCurdy said. “She has a tremendous amount of good international experience and she has played against the best. She understands what it takes to succeed at the collegiate level and she has a great work ethic.

“Fundamentally, her swing is beautiful and in her short game she has all the shots. She’s a great thinker on the golf course and the kind of player we like to develop at Wichita State. She has a great foundation to build upon and her attitude is amazing, she is such a positive person. As hard as she works, she has a really good balance of not being too hard on herself and she has the ability to still have fun while grinding at the same time. I think she is going to be a fantastic addition immediately to our program.”

Ayra, a native of Jakarta, Indonesia, attends Laurel Springs School. She is a two-time winner of the Indonesian National Junior Golf Championship with victories in 2011 (77-73-76) and 2012 (76-79-72). In 2013, she was runner-up at the Enjoy Jakarta Junior World Golf Championship (75-74-77) and earned her first amateur title at the Kuala Lumpur Amateur Open (70-67-76).

Also in 2013, she finished in fourth place at the Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open (74-71-70) and finished in fifth place at the U.S. Kids Golf Teens World Golf Championships (75-74-73).

Gavrilla represented Indonesia for the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships five years in a row (2010-14) and is a member of the 2013 Indonesian National Golf Team. While with the National Golf Team, she represented Indonesia in the South East Asian Team Championships in the Philippines and helped the team to a third place finish. She also represented the team in the South East Asian Games in Myanmar and helped the team to a fourth place finish.

Victoria Chandra Signed To University Of Kansas Women's Golf Team

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Coming off a solid fall that had two runner-up and five top-five finishes, Kansas women's golf coach Erin O'Neil continued her momentum by signing what she believes could be her best class with Ariadna Fonesca, Victoria Chandra and Laine Evans inking National Letters of Intent to play at KU.

"As a group, they are very talented, love golf and are all-around good people," said O'Neil, who is in her 11th season at Kansas. "It's probably the strongest recruiting class we have had from top to bottom."

Chandra, from Bali, tied for 22nd at the 2014 Callaway Junior World Golf Championships, July 15-18, at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California, shooting a 294 (+5), which included a 1-under 71 in her second round. The previous week she tied for 18th at the Future Champions Golf (FCG) International Championship at Willow Glen in San Diego, California, with a three-round 227 (+12). In January 2014, she won the Faldo Series Indonesia Girls U-21 Division at Damai Indah's BSD Course in Indonesia.

In 2013 she finished eighth at the Thailand Amateur Open carding two rounds under par and was runner-up at the Optimist International Junior Championships at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Also in 2013, Chandra competed in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Naypyidaw, Burma, finishing 11th and placed 12th at the True Vision International Junior Golf Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

"We found Victoria by looking for the top golfers in the world, using the World Amateur Golf Rankings," O'Neil said. "She played in a tournament in San Diego this summer and we were able to go watch her there. She's a strong-ball striker and has a tremendous amount of potential. She also has a lot of international experience which will help her be competitive at the collegiate level."

Hashilla Rivai Makes Impression In USA At Thornton Academy

Indonesia's Hashilla Rivai arrived from metropolitan Jakarta in Saco, Maine USA (population 18,500), to further her education and improving her golf game. That she's doing very well you can read in the following article in the Portland Press Herald.

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/09/30/thornton-golfer-from-indonesia-fitting-right-in/

Early Lead For Rinaldi In The Indonesian Golf Tour At Palm Hill

Bogor, October 7th, 2014 - Scoring four-under-par 68 on the first round, Rinaldi Adiyandono leads the pack with confidence at the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group at Palm Hill Golf Club. Generating 7 birdies, Rinaldi aimed at the top. Currently in 10th position on the Indonesian Golf Tour Order of Merit, Rinaldi has secured his spot in the grand finale of Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group, which offers Rp500,000,000 prize money to the top 30 of the Order of Merit.

“I learned that the green surface was a bit hard during my practice round. So I changed my game plan and it worked really well. I tried to generate as many birdies as I could and successfully produced 5 birdies on the front nine and 2 on the back nine.” Said Rinaldi.

Closing tight in second place was Irwansyah who finished round one with a two-under-par, 70. Irwansyah and Rinaldi were tied with four-under-par before Irwansyah ended up scoring 2 bogeys on his back nine to hand the lead over to Rinaldi Adiyandono.

Meanwhile in the amateur division, Sim Min Sub leads round one after recording a 7-over-par, 79. Sim successfully overcame all of the other amateur golfers who participated in this first ever, professional/amateur golf tour circuit in Indonesia. The Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group field is unique where the participants consist of 80 professional golfers, 30 male amateur golfers, 20 female amateur golfers, and 14 invitee golfers all playing in one field under tournament conditions.

Palm Hill Golf club proudly hosts the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group for the second time this year. The Golf course's support is a major boost for golf professional development in Indonesia. The series hopes to see more support from the golf industry in Indonesia as Indonesian Golf Tour is slated to take Indonesian Professional Golf to a new level.

With the Tour leading into a Grand Finale in December this year, the 8th edition of Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group is getting more competitive. Every player is pushing their game to get into the top 30 so they can qualify for the grand finale.
The top 30 golf professionals and top 10 amateurs will play for the grand prize purse of Rp.500.000,000 with all golf professionals guaranteed winnings in the 4-day tournament as well as the three top professional securing themselves a country exemption spot on the Asian Development Tour for the 2015 season.

Ketut Sugiarta Wins Indonesian Golf Tour's 7th Round At Matoa Nasional

Jakarta, 7 August 2014 - I Ketut Sugiarta claimed victory at the seventh edition of the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group at Matoa Nasional Golf Course. Generating six birdies in his final round, Ketut compiled a total of seven-under-par (209) and sealed his victory and prize money of Rp32.000.000 for his hard work.

“I’m grateful with my result today. My aim on this tournament was to play safe hole by hole. I didn’t want to push my game,” said Ketut.

“The Indonesian Golf Tour is great. It definitely is improving our level of play for professional golfers of Indonesia. Sanctioned by PGTI and supported by all the sponsors, especially Linc Group, I just want to say thanks for the tour series. The Indonesian Golf Tour is a great example on how to improve and develop golf in Indonesia” added the champion of the day, Ketut Sugiarta.

Motivated to qualify for the Grand finale of the Indonesian Golf Tour in December 2014, Ketut has been practicing his game more than usual. The 'Road to the Indonesian Golf Tour Championship' tournament will be held at the Jakarta Golf Club (Rawamangun) with total prize money of Rp 500,000,000 for the top thirty ranked Indonesian golf professionals from the Order of Merit of the Indonesian Golf Tour.

Kevin Caesario Akbar finished as the Best Male Amateur on a count-back with a total score six-over-par (222), while Gianti Mahardika took the lead from Juriah on a count-back to become the Best Female Amateur of the 7th edition of Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group.

The ladies amateur participants including, Juriah, Ika Woro, Yeyen Safitri and Gianti Mahardika are all hoping that more ladies amateurs will participates in the upcoming Indonesian Golf Tour. These ladies all expressed their feelings of gratefulness for the tour where they can hone their skills and become the next Indonesian ladies professional golfers.

This round was snother huge success for the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group and PGTI by hosting such a great tournament for the betterment of golf in Indonesia. A big thank you to Linc Group too for their great support as well as Matoa Nasional Golf Course and its staff who have been such good hosts for the event.

Ketut Sugiarta Maintains Lead In Indonesian Golf Tour At Matoa Nasional

Jakarta, 6 August 2014 - I Ketut Sugiarta held his game together to score more birdies on round two of the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group at Matoa Nasional Golf Course. Strong wind continued to challenge the participating professional and amateur golfers, making their decision making on game play difficult. Despite this, Ketut managed to generate six birdies with a total of five-under-par (139) and secure his position as the leader of the day.

“I tried to play my normal game. You have to trust your feelings to beat the wind out there. I will keep using the same strategy for tomorrow and we’ll see.” Said Ketut who’s in 8th place in the current Indonesian Golf Tour Order of Merit.

Tailing Sugiarta with one-under -par, Indra Hermawan played an even par round tied with Junaidi Ibrahim. Firm fairways and greens were another challenge on the course.

Young promising rookie, Fajar Win Nuryanto, who turned professional in early 2014, said that the Indonesian Golf Tour series has helped him improve his game.

“I’m glad for the tour, and thanks to all involved and supporting the tour. This series has motivated me to get better. My target this year is to reach the top 20. Currently I’m in 26th position.” said Fajar who finished round two tied for fifth place.

Kevin Caesario Akbar took the lead for the men amateur class and signed-in with five-over-par (149) to overtake overnight leader, Danny Masrin of the USA.

Defending her position for the ladies amateurs and scoring 76 in round two, Juriah signed-in a total score of 154. Chasing her in second place is Gianti Mahardika, climbing from 4th place in round one, with a total score of 159.

Ketut Sugiarta And Irmansyah Share Lead After First Day Of The Indonesian Golf Tour At Matoa Nasional

Jakarta, 5 August 2014: The Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group is back with its 7th edition being played at Matoa Nasional Golf Course. Despite strong wind conditions, both Ketut and Irmansyah played a brilliant round of golf by signing a two-under-par (70) to close their first rounds. Ketut recorded an eagle, 3 birdies and 3 bogies while Irmansyah racked up 3 birdies and a bogey.

“I have not played this course for a long time. My last round at Padang Golf Matoa Nasional was 3 years ago. The course is in good shape. Green speed is a bit slow and the rough is tough.”

“Today was a great game. I played each hole carefully to get birdies. The wind made it even harder. You had to read the wind and pick the right equipment to reach the target.” said Irmansyah.

Having not missed one edition of the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group since it started in January this year, Irmansyah said that the Indonesian Golf Tour series is helping him growing his game. Believing that the more tournament conducted will change all professional golfer’s faith in Indonesia. Irmansyah hopes that there will be more and more professional golf tournaments in Indonesia.

“I’m grateful for the Indonesian Golf Tour. Thanks to the PGTI and sponsors for what they gave us, the Pros. What we need is more tournaments. I also liked the idea to include men and ladies amateurs to join the tournament. This way they can improve their game with the professional pressure and ambiance.”

“Because of this series (Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group) my score is getting better in each tournament and not only me, all the professionals golfers have gained more than just better scores. I hope this series will keep continuing every year.” added Irmansyah on his thought about the Indonesian Golf Tour and PGTI.

Tied in 3rd place, Stephen Lindskog and Indra Hermawan signed-in one-under-par (71). Lindskog opened his round with an eagle when he took his second shoot from the fairway and holed-in on the par 4, 10th hole.

“Today was a lucky round. I arrived last night, still jetlagged. But the eagle was a great opening and I tried to keep my game going after that. But let’s see tomorrow.” Stephen smiled.

In the amateur league, Danny Masrin of the USA is leading the amateur pack after signing-in two-over-par (74). As for the ladies, Juriah scored six-over-par (78), followed by Yeyen Safitri and Ika Woro in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Bowen Secures Second Win In Indonesia At Indonesian Golf Tour At Jababeka Golf & Country Club

Cikarang, July 3rd, 2014 - With a score of seven-under-par (206), James Bowen of USA is the champion of the 6th edition of the Indonesian Golf Tour at Jababeka Golf & Country Club. As a special invite player, James did not waste the opportunity, firing in a 68 and generating 4 birdies in the final round. Bowen kept his position from round two and continued his momentum in the final round to secure his throne in the tournament.

“It's a tricky course. The greens are firm and playing here before during the Linc Group Jakarta Invitational earlier this year definitely helped me with my game plan. I was very patient and didn't make mistakes so that is great. I’m an invited player so I wanted to play well. I wanted to give myself a good chance. I played really well in the final round. I made one bogey today, but I’m quite pleased with my game,” said James.

“Thanks to the Indonesian Golf Tour, the game of golf is growing in Indonesia. A lot of young players are improving. I played with two of the young players today (Joshua Andrew Wirawan and Putra Abhinawa Sahari) and they have a very good game. I’m thankful that I was able to play.” added James.

Chasing closely was Joshua Andrew Wirawan, who came in second with a total score of two-under-par 211. Putting forward his best effort from day one, Joshua played really well to hold his position.

As a come back moment, Rory Hie who finished in 7th position while current Order of Merit leader, George Gandranata had to settle for 11th position.

On the amateur positions, Joeh Se Ik and Rivani Adelia Sihotang again proved their skills on the course and became Best Male and Female Amateur in this event. Joeh Se Ik recorded eight-over-par 217 while Rivani Adelia Sihotang signed-in a total score one-under-par 212.

Joeh Se Ik finished as Best Male Amateur in the Indonesian Golf Tour 6th event. Photo by Andy Rezandi / OB Golf Events

Juriah put up a good a fight on the course by sticking close to Rivani during the final round, but even a Double-bogey on the 3rd hole did not stop Rivani from claiming her victory.

”It was so tense! It feels like you’re in a race, but I made it to the finish line. The course is amazing. It helped me to improve my skills for sure. I learned a lot from this course.” said Rivani.

“I’m happy to be able to win, but I don't want to get cocky. My plan is to become professional and go on the LPGA tour. So glad that now we have the tour (Indonesian Golf Tour). For amateurs such as me, we can gain more experience and skills on this tour. The tour is not only playing on one course, but it moves around so this helps us to learn and read each course's characteristics,” added now 2-time Best Female Amateur champion, Rivani Adelia Sihotang.

American James Bowen Drives His Way To Lead Indonesian Golf Tour At Jababeka Golf & Country Club.

Cikarang, July 2nd, 2014 - With 5 birdies in round two and a total score of four-under-par (138), James Bowen of USA took the lead from Joshua Andrew Wirawan by 2 points in the 6th event of Indonesian Golf Tour at Jababeka Golf & Country Club. Joshua who played one-over-par struggled to stay on top today and shares second place with Putra Abhinawa Sahari with a total score two-under-par (139).

“Today I played very solid. I made one boogie, one mistake on the 2nd hole with 3 putts. Other than that, I hit a lot of greens. My short game was very good. I had two tough bunker shots but I got it up and down and that’s what really kept my momentum going. I hit it really close on the last two holes , I missed birdie on the 17th but made it on the 18th. I played a solid round and I’m very pleased,” said LINC Group Jakarta Classic 2013 Champion, James Bowen.

“The course is long and you didn’t get too much roll. Everything was in great shape. Wind was a bit tricky, but it wasn't too hard to read which direction it came from. All in all the course is great and I’m very happy that I played here.” added James.

Joeh Se Ik signed-in a total score of two-over-par (144) in round two allowing him to keep the throne for another day as the Lowest Male Amateur. Chasing second place is Danny Masrin of USA who signed-in a total score of four-over-par (146).

Overnight Ladies Amateur leader, Renata, dropped to second place after recording 72 with a total score of one-over-par (143) tied with Juriah who signed-in a magnificent three-under-par score in round two alone. New Ladies Amateur leader, Rivani Adelia Sihotang played brightly by recording a bogey free round with 4 birdies to finish at two-under par (140).

Joshua Wirawan Leads After First Round Of Indonesian Golf Tour At Jababeka Golf & Country Club

Cikarang, July 1st, 2014 - The first round of the 6th event on the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by LINC GROUP held at Jababeka Golf & Country Club is being led by young golfer Joshua Andrew Wirawan who came in with a three-under-par 68. The 17-year-old achieved 1 eagle and 3 birdies during his round.

Heat and windy weather was an issue for many but it did not stop the participating golfers to showcase their brilliant golf skills. Joshua pushed himself to enable him to lead the pack for the day. Jababeka Golf & Country Club is proving to be a challenge for all the golfers on this edition of the Indonesian Golf Tour.

"Actually, this course is quite difficult. It has many long fairways and some of the greens are slumped. However, it depends on how we can adjust our shots. I didn’t have any specific strategy today. As long as my driver could reach the fairways, I could get a safe second or third shot and reach the green, I was happy as it was then down to my putting. Overall, my game today was good although on hole 13 I scored double-bogey." Said Joshua.

Indonesian Golf Tour 5th series (Padang Golf Modern) runner-up I Ketut Sugiarta is chasing the lead and could well have been leading for the day but fell to second place after a bogey on the Par 5 14th and 16th to tie with William Sjaichudin at two under-par (69).

“My swing was quite good today. On hole 16, my ball went into the water. The course is not my problem, it's the fairways which are proving to be long for me. Its probably due to my age. The strong wind also affected my game, but it's not a big deal. Basically I will play safe for the next two days.” said I Ketut.

Two-times Indonesian Golf Tour series champion, George Gandranata on the other hand was struggling to find his game. A double-bogey on the 15th pulled him back to end his round with a four-over-par 75.

"Like I've said before, golf is a day-by-day game. My ball striking was not really good today. I’ve been practicing my swing for the past few days, but I don't think it came into effect yet. My putting wasn’t good as well. A little windy today. Golf is a shot-by-shot game and each week will be different for sure, but we’ll see," said current Order of Merit leader George Gandranata.

On the amateur scene, 2-times lowest score amateur champion on the Indonesian Golf Tour series, Joeh Se Ik came in 4th place with a par 71, while Renata scored one-over-par at 72 and took the lead in the Indonesian Golf Tour ladies amateur.

The Indonesian Golf Tour at Jababeka Golf & Country Club is the 6th in a series of twelve 3-day events that are being hosted at selected courses in the greater Jakarta area with each boasting Rp200,000,000 prize purses.

Gandranara Takes The Lead In Second Round Of Indonesian Golf Tour At Padang Golf Modern

Tangerang, 11th June 2014 - George Gandranata signed off on a perfect score without bogey in the second round of the Indonesian Golf Tour at Padang Golf Modern. With six-under-par, George successfully compiled a total score of seven-under-par (137) to take the lead in round two of the Indonesian Golf Tour fifth series.

“My irons are great since yesterday and I'm playing really well today. I scored 6 birdies, no bogey. I hit it really close on a lot of holes. I sunk a lot of putts too. There is one hole where I sunk a 10 meter putt. The green at Padang Golf Modern is hard to read, you have to hit it close to the pin to score a birdie,” said George.

George Gandranata on the final hole during the second round of the Indonesian Golf Tour at Padang Golf Modern. Photo: Adil Anselm/OB Golf

“I still have 18 holes to go tomorrow. I can’t control what others do but I can control myself. My strategy will be the same as always. Hope my putts will drop like today in the final round tomorrow. We’ll see,” added George.

Chasing from third place, I Ketut Sugiarta signed in a total six-under-par (138) to tie with overnight leader, Maan Nasim, who played one-under-par in round two and dropped to second place. Stunning Johanes Dermawan was on fire when he recorded seven birdies and just two bogies to put him in fourth place with a total score five-under-par (139).

Rivani Adelia Sihotang signed off on a total seven-under-par (137) to take the Female Amateur lead.

“Thank God, I played really well. I enjoyed and focused on my game and scored 6 birdies today. The course is great. Wind is strong today, and the greens are fast. But overall it is going well,” said fourteen-year-old Rivani Adelia Sihotang.

Maan Nasim Leads After First Round Of Indonesian Golf Tour At Padang Golf Modern

Tangerang, 10th June 2014 - Maan Nasim sealed round one of the Indonesian Golf Tour at Padang Golf Modern with five-under-par (67) putting him at the head of the pack for the day.

With a record clean score on the front nine, Maan successfully signed-in 4 birdies. A bogey on the 13th did not stop him with a quick recovery on 14th when he sank his birdie putt with and another birdie secured on the 16th.

Tailing Maan in second place is Andik Mauludin with three-under-par (69) followed by I Ketut Sugiarta who scored two-under-par (68) and sits in third place. Despite playing in rainy conditions, the current Order of Merit leader, George Gandranata was still able to sign-in at one-under-par (71) tied in 4th place with Indra Hermawan.

"The Fairways were firm before it rained on the 14th hole. The greens are not like I remember 2 years ago either if am not mistaken but overall the course is in great condition," said George.

In this edition of Indonesian Golf Tour at Padang Golf Modern, 40 male and 11 female amateur golfers are participating in the tournament. Scoring three-under-par (69), Ida Ayu Indira Melati Putri leads round one for the female amateurs while Elki Kow leads the male amateurs with 1-over-par.

The Indonesian Golf Tour at Padang Golf Modern is the 5th in a series of twelve 3-day events that are being hosted at selected courses in the greater Jakarta area with each boasting Rp200,000,000 prize purses.

New Indonesian Golf Tour For Pros And Amateurs Launched

Jakarta, April 1st 2014 - Today the third leg of a brand new golf tour will get underway at Emeralda Golf Club, just south of Jakarta.

For the first time Indonesia has its own professional golf tour, the Indonesian Golf Tour. It is an ambitious new professional golf circuit aimed at speeding the development of Indonesia’s up and coming golfers.

The playing field will comprise of 80 Indonesian Golf Professionals, 30 Male Amateurs, 20 Female Amateurs and 14 special invites marking the first time Indonesia has seen such a tour that allows for a playing field offering opportunities to both Amateurs and Golf Professionals at the same time.

A total of thirteen 3-day events will be hosted at selected courses in the greater Jakarta area with each boasting IDR 200,000,000 prize purses. All 13 events will earn ranking points for the participating golf professionals, which will set the stage for the Road to the Indonesian Golf Championship to be hosted at Jakarta Golf Club (Rawamangun) from December 10th – 13th this year.

The top 30 golf professionals and top 10 amateurs will play for the grand prize purse of IDR 500,000,000 with all golf professionals guaranteed winnings in the 4-day tournament as well as the three top professional securing themselves a country exemption spot on the Asian Development Tour for the 2015 season.

As a result of this new initiative for professional and amateur golf in Indonesia, close to 10 amateurs have converted their status to professional status in order to allow them to play for money on the Indonesian Golf Tour.
The Indonesia Golf Tour was officially launched on March 21st during a Press Conference in Jakarta, but two events, the PGP Classic at Senayan National Golf Club and the Indonesia Golf Challenge at Palm Hill Golf Club, were already held prior to this launch.

"The long term future for golf in Indonesia is not paying large sums to bring the world's superstars to play here but creating our own stars," Johannes Dermawan, the chairman of Professional Golf Tour Indonesia (PGTI) said at the launch event.

"We need to create more stars that we ourselves can be proud of, stars that the Indonesian people will flock to see and stars that will eventually play among the world's top golfers in the world's top tournaments. But we can only achieve this by giving our best and most promising golfers the opportunity to develop their competitive skills, by giving them the chance to compete regularly." added Dermawan.

Indonesian Golf Star, Rory Hie added, “The Road to the Indonesian Golf Championship will create a buzz factor on the Indonesian Golf Tour as players compete throughout the season to make it into the field for the final event. We thank the tournament organizers for supporting this positive development.”

During the Press Conference, Professional golfers from across the country were presented with the vision and objectives of The Indonesian Golf Tour and were encouraged to use its platform as a unique opportunity to improve their fortunes.

The launch was blessed with the presence of representatives from Persatuan Golf Indonesia (Indonesian Golf Association) and Badan Professional Olahraga Indonesia (Professional Sports Association of Indonesia) as well as many of Indonesia’s leading golf professionals, all of whom echoed the sentiments expressed above.

The Indonesian Golf Tour series brings the total number of Professional Golf events being hosted in Indonesia to 20 events, including 2 Asian Tour events (CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and Indonesia Open), 1 OneAsia event (Indonesian PGA Championship), 2 Asian Development Tour events (Linc Group Jakarta Classic and Linc Group Jakarta Invitational) and the Camry Invitational.

This is the first time Indonesia has seen so many professional golf events being hosted in a single year.

The 2014 schedule for the Indonesia Golf Tour:

No	Date	Event	Venue
1	Jan 26-28	PGP Classic	Senayan National GC
2	Feb 18-20	Indonesia Golf Challenge	Palm Hill GC
3	Apr 1-3	Citra Sembilan Satu	Emeralda GC
4	May 6-8	Indonesian Classic @	LotusLakes Golf
5	May 19-21	JGC Classic	Jakarta GC (Rawamangun)
6	Jun 10-12	Indonesian Classic @	PG Modern
7	Jun 17-19	Indonesian Classic @	Jababeka GCC
8	Aug 12-14	Indonesian Classic @	Sedana GCC
9	Aug 26-28	JGC Classic	Jakarta GC (Rawamangun)
10	Sep 23-25	Indonesian Classic @	tba
11	Oct 21-23	Indonesian Classic @	tba
12	Nov 4-6	JGC Classic	Jakarta GC (Rawamangun)
13	Nov 18-20	Indonesian Classic @	tba
14	Dec 10-13	IGT Final	Jakarta GC (Rawamangun)

Denny Wijaya Wins Indonesian Golf Challenge In Play Off Against Andik Mauludin

Bogor, February 20th - Denny A. Wijaya won the Indonesian Golf Challenge in a Play Off against Andik Mauludin. Both had total scores of 215 (-1) and on the first play off hole Denny A. Wijaya sunk his putt from the fringe to make birdie while Andik missed his chance early on to make birdie.

“On the first and second day, I played safe to survive the cut but today I tried to push my game. When I made bogey on 17th and 18th hole, the first thing I remembered was to call my family and let them know the possibility of a playoff,” said Denny.

Denny dedicated his win to his wife and 2 children, especially his wife who just celebrated her birthday on February 18th. For him, this win is sentimental and will be a memorable one.

Andik had to accept his loss when Denny sunk his putt from six meters. “I targeted to win the game this week. This is golf, everything can happen on the course. When I birdied the 15th, Denny scored bogey on the 17th that made us tied to two-under-par. I made bogey on the 17th and so did Denny on the 18th. Sinking the four meter putt 18th boosted my confidence,” said Andik smiling.

“I finished second at the previous tournament and lost in a playoff in this tournament. Next tournament, I have to win” added Andik.

(L-R) Jo Seik (Male Lowest Amateur), Denny A Wijaya (Champion), Gianti Mahardika (Female Lowest Amateur) pose with their trophy in the Indonesian Golf Challenge at Palm Hill Golf Club on February 20th, 2014.

In the amateur section, Jo Seik came in as the Male Lowest Amateur with a total of 217 (one-over-par), while Gianti Mahardika won the Female Lowest Amateur with a total of 229 thirteen-over-par.

The Indonesian Golf Challenge proved to be an event that not only pushed the professional golf players to do their best but also to gave an opportunity for amateur golfers to compete in a professional golf tournament and earn more experience.

Thank you to Palm Hill Golf Club who fully supported the event with their wonderful course and great services.

The Indonesian Golf Challenge was the second in a series of fourteen events, which are being conducted this year in Indonesia to establish a platform for Indonesian golf professionals and amateurs to play together in a three-day tournament and improve their level of golf on a regular basis.

All fourteen events lead into a Grand Finale in December which offers a prize purse of Rp. 500,000,000 to the top thirty Indonesian Professionals playing in a 4-day tournament called “The Race to the Indonesian Championship” at Jakarta Golf Club. This tournament does not involve a cut and all thirty professionals will win a percentage of the prize money with the top three positions earning a country exemption card on the Asian Development Tour.

Junaidi And Andik Share Lead At Indonesian Golf Challenge

Bogor, 19 February - Junaidi Ibrahim and Andik Mauludin are both leading Indonesian Golf Challenge at Palm Hills Golf Club after the second round with a total score of three under par.

Both will be paired with Jo Seik who is the best performing male amateur who finished today with a fantastic score of 69. The leading group will tee of from tee box 1 at 8:20am for the final round.

The cut today was at +11 with two female amateurs in close battle for the best female amateur position. Gianti Mahardika at +7 has a one stroke advantage over Rivani Adelia Sihotang.

Spectators are welcome to come watch the exciting Indonesia Golf Challenge final round at Palm Hills Golf Club located in Sentul.

This is the second in a series of fourteen events being conducted in Indonesia where eighty Indonesian golf professionals and thirty male and twenty female amateurs are playing together in each tournament, which offers a Rp. 200,000,000 prize purse for the top Indonesian golf professionals.

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.