George Gandranta And Andik Mauludin Only Local Players Making The Cut At Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship

AKARTA, March 28 - Korean Park Sang-hyun, Filipino Juvic Pagunsan and Japan’s Ryuko Tokimatsu shot matching eight-under-par 64s on Friday to share the lead after two rounds of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

After opening with 67s, the trio are now 13-under around Damai Indah Golf’s 6,545-metre (7,160-yard) Bumi Serpong Damai course in pursuit of their first OneAsia or Japan Tour title as the U.S. $1 million tournament is co-sanctioned by both.

Japan’s Michio Matsumura (67) is a shot behind, while Ouyang Zheng eagled the last to grab sole fifth place at 11 under with a 67. Aussie Rhein Gibson (75) -- holder of the world record low score by a professional -- was at 10 under with Chinese teenager Li Haotong.

Park, who celebrated his son’s first birthday on Friday, was delighted with his effort despite feeling his driving was not up to scratch.

“My boy is one year old today so this is for him,” said 30-year-old, whose only blemish was a bogey on the fifth. “My target today was to make a birdie on every par five and I managed to do that. My putting was also very good, so I am happy.”

Pagunsan, a winner at this course in 2007, also credited a hot putter for his blistering round.

“The greens are very different from when I won here -- they go up and down a lot more -- but I managed to put it close and that was important today,” he said.

The runner-up at this event last year, Pagunsan said he has spent more time on his physical fitness this year in a bid to go one better.

“I am in much better shape this year,” the 35-year-old said. “I hope I can get the results to show for the work.”

Playing in the afternoon, Tokimatsu set up his great round with some devastating tee shots -- he has only missed one fairway in two days -- and thinks he can go even lower.

“I’m very pleased, but for the weekend I want to do better,” he said.

The round of the day belonged to Aussie rookie Jack Wilson who fired nine birdies in his career-best 63, to offset an opening-round 73.

“I hit it good yesterday but couldn't buy a putt,” he said. ”Today was one of those rounds that is out of the box. I hit it really good again, and my local caddie came up with some great reads -- which certainly helped in making the majority of my birdies.”

With the cut at minus three, headline act Y.E. Yang, Asia’s only Major winner, just squeezed in after a second-round 67 left him at four under.

Defending champion Choi Ho-sung, however, took an early flight home after his Friday 67 saw him finish two under for the tournament, while nothing went local hero Rory Hie’s way and he closed at plus four after rounds of 75 and 73.

The best of the local players was George Gandranata (67) who is at four under under, while overnight leader Gareth Paddison (74) of New Zealand was at minus six. Andik Mauludin is the only other local player who made the cut, squeezing into the weekend after a round of 74.

Scores after the second round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation

131 - PARK Sang-hyun (KOR) 67-64, Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI) 67-64, Ryuko TOKIMATSU (JPN) 67-64

132 - Michio MATSUMURA (JPN) 65-67

133 - OUYANG Zheng (CHN) 66-67

134 - Rhein GIBSON (AUS) 69-65, LI Hao-tong (CHN) 67-67

135 - SONG Young-han (KOR) 69-66, Yoshikazu HAKU (KOR) 69-66, David SMAIL (NZL) 67-68, Kunihiro KAMII (JPN) 65-70, KIM Bi-o (KOR) 68-67, KIM Tae-hoon (KOR) 66-69, David McKENZIE (AUS) 65-70, KANG Sung-hoon (KOR) 67-68

Selected:

140 - George GANDRANATA (INA) 71-69

141 - Andik MAULUDIN (INA) 67-74

CUT

142 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA) 72-70

143 - Denny A. WIDJADYA (INA) 71 72, Asep SAEFULLOH (INA) 67-76

144 - Kurnia HERISIANDY SANTOSO (INA) 74-70

145 - Ian ANDREW (INA) 76-69

146 - Jordan IRAWAN (INA) 69-77

147 - William SJAICHUDIN (INA) 77-70, Ade SEBUL (INA) 74-73

148 - Rory HIE (INA) 75-73

149 - Bramantio ADI (INA) 71-78

150 - Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA) 77-73

151 - Jamal ONDO (INA) 74-77

152 - HARDJITO (INA) 75-77

153 - RUDIANTO (INA) 77-76, SARMILIH (INA) 79-74, ILYASSYAK (INA) 78-75, SANUSI (INA) 78-75

154 - Ramadhan ALWIE (INA) 78-76, Benny KASIADI (INA) 79-75, Asep CAPRIE (INA) 75-79

155 - Fahmi REZA (INA) 76-79

Kiwi Leads After FIrst Round Of The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship

JAKARTA, March 27 - New Zealander Gareth Paddison bagged two eagles on his way to a brilliant eight-under-par 64 on Thursday to grab the clubhouse lead midway through the opening round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

The left-hander could have gone even lower if not for a bogey on his last hole -- the ninth -- but holds a one-stroke lead over Japan’s Kunihiro Kamii and Australian David McKenzie, with three others a shot further back.

The U.S. $1 million tournament at at Damai Indah Golf’s stunning Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Damai course is the season opener for both OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour, with the winner grabbing a $180,000 slice of the purse.

Paddison has already shown some form this year having won on the PGA Tour of Australasia, but he was nevertheless surprised with his first-round effort.

“It was a bit out of left field, actually. I didn’t expect that of myself,” the 33-year-old said. ”I putted exceptionally well -- played really steady really -- and and all of a sudden you’re standing on the last hole at nine under. It was a pity about that last one.”

Paddison eagled the par five fifth and 18th in similar fashion, hitting driver and four iron to the green before draining putts of 20 and 35 feet respectively.

The Kiwi has been a professional for 12 years but has never won a tournament of this stature and is keen to take his game to the next level.

“I think I have made really big improvements recently thanks to a lot of work with my coach Dennis McDade,” he said. “I really want to step it up this year. I want big things to happen.”

McKenzie was also pleased with his effort on his first serious outing of the year after a bout of tendinitis.

“I played in the pro-am and didn’t think these sorts of scores were out there, but while the greens are very tricky, if you get it in the right place you can leave yourself with some make-able putts,” he said.

Kamii is also looking for his first win on a top-tier tour and could have had a share of the lead if not for a costly bogey on the relatively easy par-five 18th after putting his tee shot in the water.

“I am a bit angry about that,” said the 32-year-old from Osaka, “but I am still happy with my round.”

Several OneAsia champions kept themselves well in the hunt with excellent first rounds including Michael Hendry (67), four-time winner Liang Wenchong (67), and 2012 Order of Merit winner Kim Bi-o (68) -- who triple-bogeyed the eighth.

China’s Ouyang Zheng (66) and Li Haotong (67) also put in a great effort, while Prom Meesawat was top of the Thai contingent with a 69.

Two local players, Asep Saefulloh and Andik Mauludin, put in good rounds, with both carding a round of 67 which puts them in a share of 8th place. Jordan Irawan is 2 shots further back in a tie for 34th, with Danny A. Wdjajaya, Bramantio Adi and George Gandranata the only other local players under par after round 1.

The collaboration between OneAsia and the Japan Tour means the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by the Indonesia Port Corporation, had drawn one of the strongest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most populous nation -- headlined by Major winner Y.E. Yang, who was in the afternoon session.

Scores after the first round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation:

64 - Gareth PADDISON (NZL)

65 - Kunihiro KAMII (JPN), David McKENZIE (AUS), Michio MATSUMURA (JPN)

66 - Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN), KIM Tae-hoon (KOR), OUYANG Zheng (CHN)

67 - Ryuko TOKIMATSU (JPN), LI Hao-tong (CHN), KIM Gi-whan (KOR), Michael HENDRY (NZL), David SMAIL (NZL), Asep SAEFULLOH (INA), KANG Sung-hoon (KOR), PARK Sang-hyun (KOR), Andik MAULUDIN (INA) JANG Ik-jae (KOR), Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI), MAENG Dong-seop (KOR), JANG Dong-kyu (KOR)

Selected:

69 - Jordan IRAWAN (INA)

71 - Denny A. WIDJADYA (INA), Bramantio ADI (INA), George GANDRANATA (INA)

72 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA)

74 - Ade SEBUL (INA), Jamel ONDO (INA), Kurnia HERISIANDY SANTOSO (INA)

75 - HARDJITO (INA), Asep CAPRIE (INA), Rory HIE (INA)

76 - Ian ANDREW (INA), Fahmi REZA (INA)

77 - Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA), RUDIANTO (INA), William SJAICHUDIN (INA)

78 - SANUSI (INA), Ramadhan ALWIE (INA), ILYASSYAK (INA)

79 - Benny KASIADI (INA), SARMILIH (INA)

DSQ - ABRAHAMSYAH (INA)

CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters Looking To Build More Homes For Those In Need

Jakarta, 20 March 2014 - Sponsors and partners of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters 2014 have pledged to build more homes for the less fortunate as part of its Habitat for Humanity Indonesia drive.

Since its launch in 2011, organizers behind the US$750,000 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters have been instrumental in building 29 homes for families in need.

Together with National Energy Company, Pertamina, it has also provided over 10,000 people in the Cilamaya area with clean water solution.

“Giving back to the community is always a priority for CIMB Niaga and we are very happy as title sponsor to be a part of an event that has already achieved so much in terms of building homes and providing a clean water solution to the families in need of Indonesia. CIMB Niaga together with our other fellow sponsors and partners will strive to build more homes with each passing year of our sponsorship,” said Head of Brand, Marketing & Communications CIMB Niaga, Harsya Denny Suryo.

Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han lauded the charity initiative and said: “From the very beginning, the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters has made strong efforts to give back to the community. The Asian Tour is proud to be associated with an event that has a family of sponsors and partners that prioritizes helping people through the sport of golf.”

The CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters has cemented its place as the nation’s most prestigious event and has featured prominently on the Asian Tour Schedule since 2011.

Since it was launched, the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters has attracted many leading stars including Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke and Michael Campbell, to name a few.

The fourth edition of the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters will welcome a stellar field that includes reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, Major winner Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, defending champion Bernd Wiesberger of Austria, and Thai star Thongchai Jaidee.

The CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters has also received a significant boost as it welcomes on board Taylormade as the tournament equipment partner, Loewe as Official TV, Beringer as Official Wine, Srixon as Official Ball and Ricoh as Official Office Equipment.

These new sponsors join a host of corporates already committed to the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters. They include Linc Group, Pertamina, BMW Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia, Salonpas, Telkomsel, San Miguel, SvinGolf, JS Luwansa Hotel, Noble Group and Oakley.

While the Asian Tour event has attracted a host of world class players, it has also placed much emphasis on the development of golf in Indonesia.

The Youth Development initiatives of the tournament include three golf clinics conducted at Royale Jakarta Golf Club for 20 Juniors selected by the Indonesian Golf Association (Persatuan Golf Indonesia) and CIMB Foundation (CIMB Group's Junior Development Program for Golf).

Each program is conducted monthly beginning in January 2014 and includes a one and a half hour clinic followed by a nine-hole playing lesson.

The top five most attentive juniors from each session will stand a chance to win an exclusive behind the scenes access to the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters 2014 as well as an opportunity to meet the Star Players of the event.

The CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters Amateur League qualifies one Indonesian amateur for the tournament proper.

Indonesian amateurs can participate in this league by entering the newly established Indonesia Golf Tour, which sees 14 tournaments conducted this year.

30 male amateurs have the opportunity to play together with Indonesian golf professionals in three-day tournaments conducted across Jakarta.

The highest ranked amateur following their participation in the series between January and April 2014 (three events total) wins the opportunity to play against the best of the Asian Tour and PGA Indonesia in the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters 2014.

Hometown Hero Rory Hie Eyes Jakarta Victory

JAKARTA, March 25 - Home favorite Rory Hie has set his sights on a first OneAsia win in 2014, and where better to do it than at this week’s season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

The gifted 25-year-old came close to claiming the title when finishing second to Andre Stolz by a stroke at the 2011 edition of the tournament — he also finished joint runner-up at the Indonesia Open that year — and has shown he thrives in front of a home crowd.

“I always love playing in Indonesia,” said Hie, who won two out of three legs of the Road to the Panasonic Open series in Jakarta last year and also had a top-10 finish in the capital just last month on the Asian Development Tour.

With all the creature comforts of home and doting parents Tommy and Rita, Hie will be able to devote his full attention to the U.S. $1 million tournament taking place at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpong Damai course, which promises a set-up to test the mettle of one of the classiest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most-populous country.

Fully co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and OneAsia, the best players from both circuits will be be in attendance as well as Y.E. Yang, Asia’s only Major champion.

The winners of every Order of Merit since OneAsia’s founding in 2009 have confirmed their entries, as have multiple Japan Tour winners such as Shingo Katayama, Hiroyuki Fujita, Yuta Ikeda and Yoshinori Fujimoto.

Hie’s phenomenal showing in his rookie season in 2011 has yet to transform into a OneAsia win, but the former world top-10 amateur is determined to make the step-up.

“I want to win on OneAsia this year — as in any other year really,” he said, with just a few days to go until the March 27 - 30 tournament.

After a relatively quiet start to 2013, Hie showed his class at the Nanshan China Masters in October with a joint fourth-place finish behind Major winners Charl Schwartzel, Darren Clarke and defending champion Liang Wenchong.

A bit of his inconsistency could be attributed to flitting between contact lenses and spectacles in a bid to sharpen his focus, but Hie intends playing this season entirely in glasses while he mulls whether to undergo Lasik surgery to correct acute short-sightedness.

“I’m sticking with glasses for now,” he said. “Using transition lenses has helped me protect my eyesight so far (but) I’ll wait for the Lasik technology to upgrade so they can perform surgery on a thin cornea.”

Hie is constantly fine-tuning his game in pursuit of improvement and is confident with the feel of the new driver in his bag — as well as another surprising addition.

“I’m using the Taylormade SLDR driver now and a new Taylormade five wood,” he said. “I’ve never used a five wood before, but I feel like am getting too old to hit a two iron.

“I tinker all the time — sometimes not for the better, but golf is best learned from trial and error.

“I know what I am capable of and I would like to get better. You wont get there by staying the same.”

And his opinion of “BSD”, as locals fondly refer to Damai Indah Golf’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Damai course?

“It’s definitely a ball strikers golf course. The greens are tricky too, but I’m really looking forward it.”

Playing at home means Hie also get the chance to indulge more in his hobbies off the course.

“I’m an avid music fan — and not just one genre. My favorite band has always been Green Day, but when I am in the mood I listen to some metal from A7X (Avenged Sevenfold) and as well as rap. Eminem is my favorite rapper.

“I also love fast cars and video games.”

Little Glory But A Lot Of Experience Gained For Indonesian Team At Faldo Series Asian Grand Final

Shenzhen, China, 13 March 2014 - Mikumu Horikawa of Japan stormed to victory in the eighth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in China. The 21-year-old from Kanagawa fired a superb final round 68 on the Faldo Course to win by three shots and follow in the footsteps of compatriot Masamichi Ito who won the title in 2010 and 2012.

“The time is now for the Faldo Series, Mikumu’s come from behind victory caps an amazing week which has seen us crown champions from around the world,” said Sir Nick Faldo. Today’s winners will travel on to America later this year where they will be vying to emulate the success of Korean American Megan Khang, who became our first girl champion at The Greenbrier last October. It’s an international story and I’m proud of that.”

“This victory means so much to me as it was my third final and last chance to win the Faldo Series,” said an emotional Mikumu on receiving his trophy from Faldo. “I picked up a putting tip from Sir Nick yesterday which really made a difference to my game today.”

Horikawa opened with three birdies in his first four holes to stun overnight leader Paul Kinnear. He went on to reach nine-under par and finish three ahead of England’s Kinnear who closed with a 73 to finish second.

Pauline Del Rosario held off a strong challenge from fellow Filipino Princess Mary Superal to win the Girls’ Division. The 15-year-old qualifies for the 2014 Faldo Series Grand Final along with Horikawa, Boys’ Under-18 winner Marc Ong of Singapore and Wang Mei-Xing (Girls Under-21) from China.

Bai Zheng-Kai from Guangdong made it a double success for China by winning the Boys Under-16 division. The 16-year-old also claimed the Mission Hills Trophy as the highest-placed finisher from mainland China.

Best Indonesian players were Ida Putri (Girls U-16) and Fadhli Soetars (Boys U-18) who both finished in a tie for 17th place at 225 (+9). The other Indonesian participants finished further down the board with Tirto Tamardi (230, Boys U-16) in a tie for 34th, Faraby Ali (232, Boys U-21) in 44th place and Victoria Chandra (235, Girls U-21) sharing 48th place in the 81 strong field.
Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year. Past winners include Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.

In September 2014, Faldo will begin taking students at a full-time residential academy for education and golf development in America. The first ever Faldo Series Academy in Casa Grande, Arizona is also home to the Faldo Series USA and marks the next significant step in the programme’s history.

The 2013/2014 Faldo Series Asia schedule featured a record 19 tournaments in 15 countries, including four in mainland China, two in India and others in The Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, Brunei, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia and Thailand.

The eighth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final was supported by ISPS Handa, Mission Hills, The R&A, Audemars Piguet, CBS, Golf Channel, MasterCard, Tricor, PGA Tour and PGA of America. It is endorsed by the Asian Tour, the Asia Pacific Golf Federation and the Guangdong Golf Association.

Leading final scores:

Boys’ Under-21:
207 – Mikumu Horikawa (JPN) 70-69-68
210 – Paul Kinnear (ENG) 66-71-73
218 – Syed Saqib Ahmed (IND) 75-75-68

232 - Faraby Ali (INA) - 80-82-70

Boys’ Under-18:

213 – Marc Ong (SIN) 70-73-70
215 – Zachary Bauchou (USA) 69-71-75
218 – Simon Zach (CZE) 71-76-71

225 - Fadhli Soetarso (INA) 77-71-77

Boys’ Under-16:

216 – Bai Zheng-Kai (CHN) 73-71-72
220 – Shota Seki (JPN) 74-71-75
221 – Jakub Hrinda (SK) 74-78-69, Ye Wo-Cheng (CHN) 75-75-71

230 - Tirto Tamardi (INA) 79-74-77

Girls’ Under-21:

229 - Wang Mei-Xing (CHN) 75-79-75, Nur Durriyah Damian (MAL) 78-76-75, Shina Kanazawa (JPN) 76-77-76, Zhu Kai-Lin (CHN) 76-76-77

235 - Victoria Chandra (INA) 79-81-75

Girls’ Under-16:

216 – Pauline Del Rosario (PHI) 72-69-75
217 – Princess Mary Superal (PHI) 72-74-71
222 – Minami Hiruta (JPN) 72-73-77

225 - Ida Putri (INA) 73-75-77

First Test For Q-School Winners At Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship

JAKARTA, March 12 - Q-School winners Sam Yi and Kevin Jun-seok Lee will get the chance to test their mettle against some of the best players in the Asia-Pacific when the 2014 OneAsia season tees off in the Indonesian capital later this month.

The pair play their first tournament as fully exempt OneAsia members at the U.S. $1 million Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation, at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpon Damai course from March 27 - 30, but will also take on the leading players from the Land of the Rising Sun as the event is fully co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organization.

“I feel great,” said 22-year-old American Yi, who survived a tense final round at Q-School in California last month to win by a stroke and book his place in all OneAsia’s minimum one million dollar events for 2014.

“I’m excited and nervous at the same time, but I just want to take it all in, learn as much as I can and just be in the moment.”

“This is what we play for,” said newly minted Australian Lee, 25, after dominating Q-School in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia at the weekend.

“I desperately wanted to play in Indonesia, so I am absolutely happy that I managed to do it.”

The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation, boasts one of the classiest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most populous nation, with Major winners Y. E. Yang and John Daly the headline acts.

The winner of every OneAsia Order of Merit since the tour launched in 2009 will be present, as well as an equally strong contingent from Japan that includes such luminaries as Hiroyuki Fujita, Yuta Ikeda and Yoshinori Fujimoto.

“I haven’t played in anything this big before as I only turned pro about a year ago,” said Yi, who was born in California to parents who emigrated from Korea.

“My biggest professional events (so far) would be the the California State Open and Nevada Open — neither of which I played well in.”

Korean-born Lee, in contrast, has played several big events before but has been confined to Australia for the past year while qualifying for citizenship, which came through just last month.

Both came to golf after first trying their hand at other sports — Yi played basketball while the stocky Lee was a skater.

“I knew I couldn’t play basketball (professionally) … I was too short,” said Yi, “but I reckoned with golf, if you had a bit of talent and worked hard enough, I could, you know, make some noise.”

“I worked hard at skating,” said Lee, “but it wasn’t enough. There were better skaters in my age group, so I thought it better to try something else.”

With the encouragement of their parents, their golf careers took off at opposite ends of the earth — Yi in California and Lee in Australia — but they’ll come together in Jakarta and see where the future takes them.

“This season my goal is obviously to keep my card, but also to see what it takes to be a touring professional and to learn the ropes in events as big as those on OneAsia,” said Yi, who boasts a stud earring and punk hairstyle.

For Lee, a professional for a lot longer, he wants to shine particularly in the top co-sanctioned events such as Indonesia, the Thailand Open and next month’s Volvo China Open, which also has the European Tour’s imprimatur.

“I actually didn’t realise that winning here would get me into China until a mate texted me saying he wanted to caddie for me,” he said after his weekend Q-School win.

“My wife was nearly in tears.”

Both will try to avoid the fate of last year’s Q-School winners who struggled after dominating qualification.

American-Filipino Eric Mina, who triumphed in California, and Japan’s Akinori Tani, the Malaysia winner, made just three cuts each to finish 62nd and 77th on the money list respectively, limiting their status for 2014.

OneAsia was founded in 2009 by the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia.

It has since doubled in size, and the tour's elite suite of tournaments now includes the national Opens of Australia, China, Korea and Thailand -- as well as numerous other prestigious events.

The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation promises to be fantastic start to another great season on both tours and will be broadcast around the world — and streamed live outside Asia — to hundreds of millions of homes, clubs and other venues.

Enjoy Jakarta is the capital province’s tourism portal, while the Indonesia Port Corporation is a parastatal responsible for the country’s vast harbor and ship-berthing facilities scattered across the archipelago of around 18,000 islands and serving the world’s fourth most populous nation.

The tournament will be promoted by World Sport Group (WSG) for a third time, with the company drawing on their vast experience in sponsorship, media and event management to ensure an outstanding event is staged.

Pagunsan Aiming To Repeat Winning Form At BSD In Indonesia PGA Championship

JAKARTA, March 10 - Filipino Juvic Pagunsan will have an ace up his sleeve when he parades his silky skills at this month’s Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

The U.S. $1 million tournament from March 27 - 30 is being played at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpong Damai course, where Pagunsan claimed his first professional victory in 2007.

He won the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational on the highly-rated Jack Nicklaus-designed course after blasting a final round seven-under 65 for a winning total of 19-under-par 269.

The Filipino romped home in style with a birdie on the 17th and an eagle at the par-five 18th to finish a shot ahead of India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar.

Pagunsan — joint runner up at last year’s tournament — is one of host of big name players to confirm for this month’s event, which will be jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) and is the season-opener for both circuits.

Major winners John Daly from the United States and Y.E. Yang from Korea are also taking part in the tournament, won last year by Korean Choi Ho-sung.

Pagunsan wrote a slice of history in 2011 when he became the first Filipino to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

While he didn’t win a tournament that year, four top-10 finishes — including runner-up at the cash-rich Barclays Singapore Open — saw him rise to the top. He had a putt to win in a play-off against Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, but just missed.

A year earlier he lifted the ASEAN PGA Tour Order of Merit trophy, helped by a memorable seven-shot victory at the 2010 Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand.

Pagunsan enjoyed a brilliant amateur career that saw him clean up in 2005, winning the SEA Games in Manila in both the individual and team events, as well as the national amateur Opens of the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.

With such credentials, the 35-year-old from Canlubang Golf Club outside Manila will be one of the favorites at the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

Situated alongside the impressive Cisadane River west of Jakarta, Bumi Serpong Damai — popularly known by locals as BSD — is framed by the upmarket housing estates of Serpong.

Enjoy Jakarta is the capital province’s tourism portal, while the Indonesia Port Corporation is a parastatal responsible for the country’s vast harbor and ship-berthing facilities scattered across the archipelago of around 18,000 islands and serving the world’s fourth most populous nation.

The tournament is promoted by World Sport Group (WSG) for a third time, with the company drawing on its vast experience in sponsorship, media and event management to ensure an outstanding event is staged.

Top 20 Finish For George Gandranata At SAIL-SBI Open

New Delhi, March 1 India’s Rashid Khan claimed a play-off victory over Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman at the SAIL-SBI Open presented by Incredible India with a birdie on the first extra hole on Saturday.

The 23-year-old prospect completed a memorable wire-to-wire victory at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club, which also atoned for his heartbreaking play-off defeat at the same event a year ago to countryman Anirban Lahiri.

Khan’s maiden Asian Tour victory was worth US$54,000 and he was mobbed by the crowds after tapping in his birdie on the par five 18th hole as Siddikur could only make par in the season-opening event.

“It feels awesome. It’s my home course and winning here is special. It’s amazing,” said a jubilant Khan, who carded a final round one-under-par 71 and totaled 18-under-par 270 for the week.

“I lost this event here last year. It was important and the way I started on the first day with a 61, it was an amazing week. I don’t like play-offs. I played seven play-offs in the last 14 months and I won only three. It’s a lottery.”

The slender Khan needed a stroke of fortune in regulation play which forced extra time. He trailed Siddikur by one with two remaining but produced a “lucky” birdie on 17 to draw level. Both players birdied the 18th hole under immense pressure to take the tournament into a play-off.

Khan’s aggressive approach paid off when he produced an imperious three wood approach shot from 269 yards out which landed on the apron before taking two more shots to defeat Siddikur, who missed his birdie chance from about 15 feet. Siddikur Rahman.

“On 17, I actually hit a bad shot, hit it right, but I don’t know how my ball pitched over the bunker and rolled to one and a half feet to the flag. I was shocked. It was really lucky,” said Khan, who will now be fully exempted on the region’s premier Tour until the end of 2015.

“I had to be aggressive in the play-off. I had to go for it. I took out the driver and hit a good shot in the middle of the fairway and then had about 269 yards to the flag. I went with a three wood and that was one of the best shots I’ve hit,” he added.

When the third round was completed this morning, Siddikur, who will feature for Team Asia in the EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM against Europe in Malaysia later this month, trailed Khan by two but soon tied the Indian youngster with an opening eagle.

His hopes of a second title at the fabled Delhi course, which he won the Hero Indian Open in November, faded as he missed his long birdie chance. “Rashid deserves the win. He’s a talented player. I saw his game and he’s a really good player,” said Siddikur, who finished fourth on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit last season.

“It was a good play-off. I played my game but maybe, I should have played driver. I used my three wood which wasn’t sufficient although I have used three wood in the first four rounds and made birdie every day. But it wasn’t the case in the play-off.”

Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg, a two-time winner in Delhi, finished third after closing with a 68, six shots from the play-off duo, while S.S.P. Chowrasia of India, Spain’s Carlos Pigem and Martin Rominger of Switzerland shared fourth place on 277.

Two-time defending champion Anirban Lahiri, who was bidding to become the first man to win three straight titles at the same tournament, closed with a disappointing 74 for tied eighth place with Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera (72) and countryman Jyoti Randhawa (69).

Indonesia's George Gandranata finished at 7-under-par in a tie for 18th. A first round 68 had him initially in the top ten, but the following rounds, though all par or below, saw him loose ground to the leaders. A top twenty finish at the start of the season should give him confidence to also score well in the tournaments to come.

Scores after round 4 of the SAIL – SBI Open being played at the par 72, 6928 Yards Delhi GC course:

270 – Rashid KHAN (IND) 61-69-69-71, Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 67-67-67-69 (Khan wins play-off with birdie on the first extra hole)

276 – Rikard KARLBERG (SWE) 71-70-67-68

277 – Carlos PIGEM (ESP) 69-71-69-68, S.S.P CHOWRASIA (IND) 68-69-72-68, Martin ROMINGER (SUI) 72-63-70-72

278 – Steve LEWTON (ENG) 68-70-68-72

279 – Abhijit CHADHA (IND) 68-73-69-69, Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 71-69-70-69, Anirban LAHIRI (IND) 70-66-69-74, Mithun PERERA (SRI) 66-68-73-72

Selected:

281 – George GANDRANATA (INA) 68-70-71-72

Major Winner Y.E. Yang To Enjoy Jakarta At Indonesia PGA Championship

JAKARTA, March 3 - Korea’s Y. E. Yang, a PGA Championship specialist, has confirmed his participation in this month’s Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.

The man who became the first Asian to win a Major when he claimed the 2009 U.S. PGA Championship will compete in the U.S.$1 million OneAsia event in Jakarta at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpong Damai course from March 27 to 30.

He will join two-time Major winner John Daly in the tournament which will again be jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO), and is the opening tournament of the 2014 season for both.


Yang is a two-time winner on OneAsia having claimed both the Kolon Korea Open and Volvo China Open in 2010.

He has also won five times on the JGTO, but his big breakthrough win came in the 2006 HSBC Champions in China, a World Golf Championships event. He defeated American Tiger Woods by two shots on that occasion.

In March 2009 he lifted his first title on the U.S. PGA Tour at the Honda Classic, becoming only the second Korean after K.J. Choi to win in the United States.

That victory proved to be a teaser for what was to come as in August he marched to victory and stardom in the 91st PGA Championship. He overcame a two-shot deficit going into the final round to finish three strokes ahead of Woods, his playing partner.

For the Indonesia PGA ,a stellar line up of players from both Tours is expected to enter. The event was won last year by Korean Choi Ho-sung. In the inaugural edition of the event in 2011 Australian Andre Stolz beat Indonesian number one Rory Hie by one shot.

Enjoy Jakarta, the capital territory’s tourism portal, is an enthusiastic and generous supporter of golf in Indonesia and delighted to be continuing backing the country’s richest tournament.

“With comprehensive regional television coverage, a world class field and an outstanding venue, Enjoy Jakarta’s partnership with the Indonesia PGA Championship reaps huge reward,” said Joko Widodo, the Governor of Jakarta.

The event marks the first time the Indonesia Port Corporation, the state body responsible for the governance, regulation, maintenance of maritime berths and harbours across the country, has sponsored a golf tournament.

“This tournament provides us with a great opportunity to promote our services throughout Asia,” said R.J. Lino, CEO of the IPC.

The tournament, promoted by World Sport Group, will be broadcast live for all four days on a regional platform including FOX Sports.