Gowa, November 13 - Indonesian rookie George Gandranata has one huge advantage over his rivals in this week’s inaugural Gowa Classic at Padivalley Golf Club.
Last year he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in economics and as the great Bobby Jones once famously said: "Golf is 99% mental, and the other 1% is in your mind!"
The US$100,000 Gowa Classic, which tees off tomorrow, is the penultimate event on this year’s ASEAN PGA Tour.
Gandranata leads a strong field of players hoping to claim the top prize of US$16,675.
Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat, winner of last year’s ASEAN PGA Tour Order of Merit title, Singapore’s Choo Tze Huang and Koh Dengshan, and Malaysian Kenneth de Silva are some of the fancied runners.
Andik Mauludin and Benny Kasiadi lead the local challenge along with Gandranata.
Gandranata turned professional in January this year and has produced a number of strong performances including fourth place in last month’s Palembang Musi Championship, on the ASEAN PGA Tour.
Said the 26-year-old: “I did well at university but I always knew I was going to turn pro. I love traveling and it is a good life. I am not really keen on being stuck in an office.”
In last year’s SEA Games he won bronze in the individual section which helped his country claim silver.
“This year could have been better. As a golfer we are never satisfied but considering this is my first year I am pretty happy with it. You have to put things into perspective. We are out here playing golf and it is a blessing,” said the Indonesian.
He was born in Jakarta but moved to high school in America when he was 15 where he excelled in the amateur game.
In 2009 he triumphed in the Northern Californian Amateur and the following year was successful in the San Francisco Championship - the oldest amateur tournament in the world – and the Alameda Commuters tournament. Those victories including 14 successive Matchplay wins.
He also played in the 2005 US Amateur, won by Italian Edoardo Molinari, and the 2009 US Amateur, where New Zealand’s Danny Lee triumphed.
Said Gandranata: “Next year my plan is to get full status on either OneAsia or the Asian Tour and within three or four years the European Tour or even the PGA Tour. We should dream big. Might as well right? What I have learned this year is to have fun. We do this week in and week out and you just have to enjoy it.”
The Gowa Classic is the first professional tournament staged in Makassar - a port city located on Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Gowa is located on the perimeter of Makassar.
The staging of the event has been made possible by the construction of Padivalley, which is a brand new golf club that the tournament will play an important role in launching.
“At Padivalley we believe we have built a golf course that will quickly become known as one of the finest in Indonesia,” said Felix Tandiawan, Director, Padivalley Golf Club.
Padivalley boasts a highly-rated 18-hole championship course designed by JMP Group. The club also has an impressive clubhouse with the Gowa highlands and their beautiful foothills providing a lush backdrop.
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