Junaidi Ibrahim Seals Vistory At IGT @ LotusLakes

KARAWANG, September 11th - Junaidi Ibrahim finally was able to realize his desire to become champion again. This year, the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group Series VI title, held at the LotusLakes Golf Club in Karawang. is going to the man from Aceh. With great determination and remarkable patience, Junaidi could surpass defending champion George Gandranata, who kept a close fight during the 18 holes to loose by a margin of one stroke.

Junaidi and George started with the same score of one-under par, playing in the last group. "Honestly at the beginning of the game today, I actually think Mr. Maan (Maan Nasim, who was 2 strokes behind) will win," said Junaidi. Playing in a group with defending champion George also provided its own pressure for Junaidi. "I also saw George play very thorough and it was very difficult to find a gap to attack. Therefore, I tried to stay calm today and play relaxed," he added.

Junaidi's confidence began to rise after scoring a long birdie putt on hole 5. From there his game began to change, more daring. Junaidi and George both posted even par on the first nine holes. Their scores were both still at one-under par, where they were joined by Ditya Novianto who enlivened the competition by carding the same score.

Junaidi success began with a birdie on hole 12, followed by birdies on the next two holes. With three birdies in a row. Junaidi was still on top of the leaderboard with a total score while a four-under par, while George was still at one-under par. Ditya dropped out of the competition after posting three consecutive bogeys on holes 14, 15, and 16,

Then Junaidi tripped on hole 16 with a bogey and with a par at 17, he is at three-under-under before the final hole, while George reduced the difference with a birdie at holes 17, going to two-under par. Both players were determined at hole 18. The spectators who were present at the final round predicted a playoff would happen.

However, when George's ball entered the water on the par 5 hole 18, that prediction was dispersed. Unfortunately, Junaidi did not utilize this opportunity properly. Although successfully crowned champion, the 36-year-old man closed the game with a bogey, which resulted in a score of 71 (total score of 214). George had to settle for second place with a score of 215 after finishing the game with a score of 72.

"During the whole round I held strong. On hole 18 when the ball from George entered the water, I felt relaxed at that time. However, when I tried to approach the 18th green I shot it over and into the bunker. From there I began to stress. I was lucky to win. This is proof that I am still a champion," said Junaidi. For the winner of the Matoa Pro Championship in 2004, the Pro-Am Jagorawi 2004, and Mercedes-Benz Emeralda Golf Tournament 2010, the IGT Series VI title turned into a birthday present for his beloved child on September 9 and wife on September 10.

For the second time, George failed to win the title, and only managed second place. While at IGT Series II losing to Ian Andrew, this time George had to recognize the excellence of seniors. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old man was not disappointed with the result today.

"I've tried hard today. I played better and my game has been according to plan. Pak June (Junaidi Ibrahim) played well, and deserved this victory. My game started to change when he (Junaidi) birdied with a ;ong putt," said George.

With two more IGT events, Series VII and the Grand Finale, George is optimistic he can win at least one championship. Even if he is ultimately unsuccessful, he's taking many positive lessons during this 2015 season. "Although this is a down year for me, the positive is that I can still compete to be in the top 10, even top 5. And it calms my mind," said the winner of the PGA Tour Order of Merit of Indonesia in 2014.

The third position is occupied Ian Andrew who collected a total score of 216 (even par), while Ditya Novianto finished fourth with 217 (one-over par)