The tournament will be played at Emeralda Golf Club from March 28 to 31, and will be joint sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.
Left-to-right: David Parkin (OneAsia), Wahyu A. Harun (Emeralda), Syafe'i Asnap (Indonesia PGA), Sukesti Martono (Deputy Governor of Jakarta), Andy Yamanaka (JGTO) and Patrick Joyce (WSG) brief the audience during a press conference at The Sultan hotel, Jakarta.
Rising Korean star Kim Kyung-tae will also compete, along with defending champion Andre Stolz from Australia and Indonesian hotshot Rory Hie, who was runner-up to Stolz.
The tournament was last played in 2011 and this year it is the second leg of the season on the OneAsia and JGTO schedules. The opening event on both tours is the Thailand Open from March 14 to 17.
Enjoy Jakarta, the Jakarta City Government’s Tourism and Culture Office, are an enthusiastic and generous supporter of golf in Indonesia and are delighted to be title sponsoring the Indonesia PGA Championship for the first time.
“These are exciting times for golf in our region and so we at Enjoy Jakarta are thrilled to be associated with a new event that has a quality line up of players,” said Bapak Arie Budhiman, Head of the Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office.
“Our golf sponsorship programme and the regional television coverage that comes with it allows us to achieve our objective of promoting Jakarta as a tourism hub for golfers and holiday makers alike. We have no doubt that the exposure will be even greater this year as the tournament is part of both OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.”
Singh’s participation will be eagerly anticipated as it is the first time he will be competing on OneAsia.
India’s pioneering golfer has claimed 20 titles around the world including four on the European Tour. His most recent was in last year’s Scottish Open. He has also triumphed six times on the Asian Tour - finishing top of the money list in 2006 and 2008.
In addition, the globetrotting star has tasted victory six times on the JGTO.
Dyson also boasts a brilliant resume with six titles in Europe and four on the Asian Tour. He will be one of the hot favorites at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship as he claimed the Indonesia Open at Emeralda in 2006.
Along with Chopra’s two US PGA Tours titles and Katayama’s 26 JGTO wins, Indonesia’s golf fans are in for a treat of world class golf.
“The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship helps raise the curtain on our 2013 season in spectacular fashion and we are extremely grateful to Enjoy Jakarta for their support,” said Sang Y Chun, OneAsia’s Chairman & Commissioner.
“This is OneAsia’s fifth season and we have been thrilled with the incredible pace at which we are growing thanks to events like the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship and outstanding venues like Emeralda,” added Chun.
Emeralda Golf and Country Club has been a regular venue for the country’s premier professional events. It hosted the country’s national Open last year and in 2006.
The Club hosted the Asian Matchplay Championship in 1996 and the 1995 Alfred Dunhill Masters.
“Emeralda Golf and Country Club is no stranger to staging top class professional tournaments. We are particularly pleased to be hosting the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship for the first time which allows us to do so much to help develop professional golf in our country,” said Wahyu Afandi Harun, President Director of PT Karabha Digdaya Representative, from Emeralda Golf and Country Club.
Located in greater Jakarta the club boasts two courses, one designed by Arnold Palmer and the other by Jack Nicklaus.
Stolz’s victory in the inaugural Indonesia PGA Championship in 2011 was a memorable one as he had come out of retirement just two years earlier. He was one of his country’s finest players before a wrist problem had a profound effect on his career.
His success in Indonesia, coupled with victory in the Thailand Open, saw him win the OneAsia Order of Merit in 2011.
Hie, Indonesia’s top golfer, led after the third round but to the disappointment of the home fans finished one behind Stolz.
Perhaps more than any other player, Hie is looking forward to the tournament’s return given he plays much of his golf at Emeralda.
“I think it’s fun to play at home because there will be a lot of support and it helps me focus when people pay attention to what I do,” said Hie.
“I have played well in the last couple of years in Indonesia almost winning twice and I hope to contend again at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship this year. I'll be preparing really hard for this event and hope to do well again.”
The event is promoted by World Sport Group (WSG) who will draw on their vast experience in sponsorship, media and event management to ensure an outstanding event is staged. WSG also are the Official Media and Marketing Partner for OneAsia and the Official Commercial Partner for the ASEAN PGA Tour.
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