Kevin Caesario Akbar Victorious In RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 March - Indonesia’s Kevin Caesario Akbar had to overcome a shaky start to retain his boys’ Under-18 crown in the RSGC AmBank Junior Amateur Open Golf Championships.

The 18-year-old completed a wire-to-wire victory by nine shots over local hopeful Adam Arif Madzri at the Royal Selangor Golf Club (RSGC) on Thursday.

Four ahead of the field overnight, Kevin bogeyed his first two holes of the day but recovered strongly to pull away from the chasing pack.

He went on to card six birdies and two bogeys en route to a two-under 70 and an even-par 216 total.

“I’m very happy to win today ... pleased with how I responded to the early blemishes,” said Kevin.

“I’ve been making a lot of birdies, which I think is the key to my win this week. I had six today ... and 15 overall.”

Kevin’s victory makes up for last year’s disappointment when he finished runner-up at the MPI-Saujana Amateur Championship.

It’s also the second victory by an Indonesian golfer in as many weeks after his professional compatriot George Gandranata clinched the Asian Development Tour (ADT) co-sanctioned PGM LADA Langkawi Championship last Sunday.

Samantha Martirez kept the girls’ Under-18 title for the Philippines when she prevailed in a three-way playoff.

Samantha holed a long birdie on the first extra hole to beat Malaysian duo Kelie Kan and Warda Amira Abdul Rawof after the three finished on 223 total.

Gandranata Savours Record Maiden Win On ADT

Langkawi, Malaysia, March 26 - Overnight leader George Gandranata closed with a one-under-par 70 to become the first player from Indonesia to win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) at the PGM LADA Langkawi Championship on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Indonesian, who held a one-shot advantage heading into the round, stumbled with a double-bogey on second but fought back with five birdies against two bogeys to triumph by two shots with a winning total of 14-under-par 270 at the Gunung Raya Golf Resorts.

Malaysia’s Danny Chia came in second after carding a 69 while Australian Jordan Sherratt and Malcolm Kokocinski of Sweden shared third on 274 following rounds of 67 and 73 respectively at the RM200,000 (approximately US$46,600) event.

American John Michael O’Toole returned with the day’s best score of 65 to finish five shots back in fifth place with Korea’s Chan-woo Kim, who posted a 66. Current Order of Merit leader Itthipat Buranatanyarat of Thailand signed for a disappointing 76 to slip to tied-19th on 281.

“It was really special. The win means a lot to me. To win my first international title on my birthday week makes it even more special. I am overwhelmed with joy,” said Gandranata, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Tuesday.

“I got off to a rough start. I hit a bad approach shot on second which resulted in a lost ball and a double-bogey but I told myself to keep calm as there are still a lot of birdie opportunities. I hit a lot of greens today and I made a couple of good par saves. I convinced myself that I can make the putts as I have been playing well all week,” Gandranata added.

Gandranata, who took home a winner’s prize cheque of US$8,693, moved up to sixth place on the Order of Merit and received six Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) courtesy of his win.

The PGM LADA Langkawi Championship, jointly sanctioned with the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM) Tour, is the seventh leg of the 2016 ADT season and also the Tour’s sixth stop in Malaysia this season.

The ADT will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the Order of Merit at the end of this season with Asian Tour cards for 2017.

Leading final round results:

270 - George GANDRANATA (INA) 65 68 67 70

272 - Danny CHIA (MAS) 67 68 68 69

274 - Jordan SHERRATT (AUS) 67 69 71 67, Malcolm KOKOCINSKI (SWE) 64 69 68 73

275 - John Michael O’TOOLE (USA) 70 70 70 65, Chan-woo KIM (KOR) 67 70 72 66

276 - Ben LEONG (MAS) 67 72 68 69, John JACKSON (USA) 70 66 70 70, James BYRNE (SCO) 66 68 70 72, Ekthumrong LUANGANURUK (THA) 67 73 63 73

Selected:

280 - Danny MASRIN (INA) 70 71 68 71

Two Winners Of The Jack Nicklaus International Invitational 2016 To Go To Ohio

Tangerang Selatan, 16 March - National amateur golfers Edwin Abeng and Jayadi will represent Indonesia at the 10th Jack Nicklaus International Invitational (JNII) Tournament of Champions 2016. The tournament will be held at the New Albany Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, United States, where they will have a chance to meet legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus.

Edwin and Jayadi got this opportunity after winning the Jack Nicklaus International Invitational 2016 amateur tournament held at the Damai Indah Golf-BSD Course in Tangerang, Banten.

Edwin Abeng won the Best Gross Overall title with a score of 75, while Jayadi won the Best Net Overall with 69, allowing them to advance to the final rounds in Columbus.

The annual tournament, now in its tenth year, is held in six countries; Italy, the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, the United States and Indonesia.

Jack Nicklaus, also known by golf enthusiasts as the Golden Bear, is a living legend with a record 18 major titles, 55 PGA Tour championship wins as well as 43 titles on other tours throughout a professional career of 25 years from 1962 to 1986.

The JNII 2016 saw the participation of 106 golfers who are all loyal customer of Jack Nicklaus. The Damai Indah Golf-BSD Course was designed by the legend himself and opened for play in 1992. It is an international course with a length of 6,545 meters.

We want to give an exclusive opportunity to local golfers and our loyal Jack Nicklaus customers to play a signature Jack Nicklaus design course in competitive tournament environment. The participants have the opportunity to win big prizes, a VIP tour to represent the country at the Tournament of Champions with a value of USD 9.775 (for 2 winners), that will be held in June", explained Damayanti Iriani, Marketing Communications at PT Trisula International, the license holder of the Jack Nicklaus apparel brand in Indonesia..

The winners of the JNII 2016 will there also have the dream opportunity to dine with Nicklaus. "Not only that, they will also watch the Memorial Tournament live at Muirfield Village Golf Club," added Damayanti.

Winning the Jack Nicklaus International Invitational is an unforgettable experience, as was witnessed by Andre Atmadji when he won the tournament in 2015.

"It was an impressive experience to have the opportunity to watch one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar, the Memorial. There i was able to meet with top players like Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and so many others. And I will never forget the moment when I had the opportunity to meet with the legendary Jack Nicklaus himself", said the runner up of the Jack Nicklaus International Invitational Final 2015 in Ohio, USA.

In the tournament final, that uses the Best Ball (foursome) format. Andre, together with Ian Sugianto, managed to finish second with the same score (-2) as the winners from South Korea, who beat them for the grand prize on count back. But they were still proud to represent Indonesia as runners up at the JNII Final Tournament of Champions 2015.

Government To Convert Senayan Golf Range Into City Forest

Jakarta, 23 February 2016 - The government is transforming the former Senayan Golf Driving Range located in Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) into a city forest as part of an overhaul of the sports complex in preparation for the 2018 Asian Games.

GBK sports complex management center president director Winarto said the driving range had officially shut down as of Feb. 1 and would be turned into a recreational green zone as stipulated in the regional planning regulations.

In response to criticism regarding the conversion of a commercial area into free public space, Winarto said the change would be beneficial not only environmentally but also financially as a conventional space in the middle of the city, which would also tie-in with the upcoming construction of the underground mass rapid transit (MRT) system with stations located nearby.

"We believe the greening will increase the overall value of the area," Winarto said on Monday during a press conference.

The renovation process would be spearheaded by the management center in partnership with the Environment and Forestry Ministry and the Jakarta city administration, he added.

The team will collaborate on converting the 4.6 hectares of land by planting exotic trees and other greenery within the area.

The government is still in the early stages of design and aims to start the plantation and construction processes by March. The area is expected to be ready by late 2017.

Environment and Forestry Ministry secretary general Bambang Hendroyono said the area was included in the ministry's plan to create 5,000 hectares of city forest across the country in the next five years.

Source: The Jakarta Post

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."

2016 Season Of The Indonesian Golf Tour To Commence Tomorrow At Sawangan Golf Club

Sawangan, 15 February - The Indonesian Golf Tour. the national professional golf circuit, will start tomorrow its third season with Series I, running from February 16 to 18. For this year OB Golf becomes the presenting sponsor of IGT. This is a sign of care for and commitment to national golf by the company which already operates since 2003.

As in previous years, Indonesia's best professional golfers will compete for a total prize amount of 200 million in each series. This time, Sawangan Golf Club becomes the venue for the 2016 season-opening event.

Welcoming the competition in the new season, some golfers already prepared themselves. For example Benita Yuniarto Kasiadi. The defending champion of Series I, which last year was held at the Matoa Nasional Golf Club, claims to have no special preparation. He just practiced regularly and continues to keep physically trained so that he is fit when plunging in the tournament. "Especially because the current weather conditions can easily change 180 degrees, from heat to rain and vice versa. Therefore, I have to maintain a good physical condition in order to preform better during the tournament," said Benita.

Especially for Sawangan, Benita continued to hone his short game. "The speed ​​on the greens at Sawangan are likely to be slow. This is what keeps me practicing," said the winner of three titles in the 2015 IGT, who this season will be more focused on his second shot and short game.

Not only Benita, Rinaldi Adiyandono also continue to improve the game around the green. "I am increasing the exercise on my short game as the green speed in Sawangan is more slowly, so that I learn the techniques to overcome them," said the Grand Final champion of IGT 2014. The preparation of Rinaldi is more specific when approaching the tournament so that it can reach its peak during the tournament.

Some national players, such as George Gandranata, Ian Andrew, Rory Hie, Danny Masrin, William Sjaichuddin, and Jordan Surya Irawan, were even heating up the temperature of their game with z plunge into international tournaments on the calendar of the Asian Development Tour is early January.

Ian, who already declared his participation in IGT Series I, will be arriving at Sawangan with satisfactory results during his adventure in ADT. The IGT 2015 Grand Final champion is in 16th place on the ADT Order of Merit in 2016 after battling in the PGM UMW Championship from 3-6 February. Ian's success is followed by Rory in 67th and Danny at 87 in the ADT Order of Merit.

Therefore IGT presented by OB Golf Series I is expected to present a fierce battle. Who will break the first egg at the start of this 2016 season?

In addition to accommodate the professional golfer, IGT also presents amateur golfers who want to try out skills in the professional event. A total of 24 men and six women amateur golfers have declared their participation in this event. However, this number will continue to grow because the deadline for registration is until today.

To be sure, they will gain valuable experience and at the same time improve their golfing abilities in this competitive arena

Gandranata Receives Wildcard To Play At Maybank Championship Malaysia

Jakarta, 25 January 2016 - With the inaugural Maybank Championship Malaysia to commence next month, the organizers of the event expect regional players to make the most of the opportunity to challenge the world.

The field will feature 156 players and five of the slots are to be allocated for top professional players from Southeast Asia.

“We will reserve places for top ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] players,” Maybank Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Megat Zaharuddin Megat Mohd Nor told The Jakarta Post in an interview recently.

“So for those ASEAN players who did not automatically qualify through the Order of Merit, then we go to the national associations and ask them for the top-ranked players,” he said. “And the Indonesian association has recommended George Gandranata.”

With no Indonesian players being in the top 67 of the Asian Order of Merit, George will be the only contender from the country at the US$3 million tournament, which will be staged at the Royal Selangor Golf Club from Feb. 18 to 21.

The 30-year-old player, who turned professional in 2012, is fired up to prove he is a worthy wildcard recipient.

“I feel honored to be invited to play in the Maybank Championship Malaysia. I think it’s a really great opportunity for me. Hopefully I can play well and make the event’s promoters feel that they made the right choice,” he said.

The invitation was officially extended by Tan Sri to Indonesia’s Jimmy Masrin, the chairman of the Asian Tour board, at Pondok Indah Golf course on Thursday.

Louis Oosthuizen, currently number 18 on the world rankings, and Martin Kaymer (30) are the highest ranked players in the tournament, and Tan Sri said he was expecting another player ranked higher than 18 to join.

“We have announced top two players [Oosthuizen and Kaymer] and we will be announcing three more in the coming days,” Tan Sri said.

The wildcard reservation for regional players is viewed as a reward to countries that are committed to actively promoting professional golf.

“Obviously, we are focusing on the countries that are active in promoting professional golf,” Tan Sri said.

He noted the significance of the tournament in offering leverage toward qualifying for this year’s Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where golf will be making its debut at the world’s largest multi-sport event.

“The key goal will be to provide as many playing opportunities for top Malaysian and ASEAN players. Why do we feel it’s important, because through the involvement of European Tour and Asian Tour, there’s a lot of world ranking points at stake. And this is, especially for this year, very important because with adequate ranking points you can qualify for the Olympics in Rio. In this sense, this is tremendous opportunity for a large number of ASEAN players to go after world ranking points,” he said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will take a pool of 60 players, each in the men’s and women’s division, based on the Olympic Golf Rankings. Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand are currently the only players from the region on the qualification list.

With a view to pushing the region to catch up with the rest of the world, especially Europe and America, in the development of golf, Tan Sri pointed out the need for national associations to be more active in exposing golf to youth.

“What has to be done will be to improve the organizations and infrastructure to enable easy access for players to compete and to ensure the flow of young players to senior ranks,” he said.

“Giving more opportunities for young players to play outside, especially in Europe, will help raise the standard of the game for the pros in the future,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jimmy, while acknowledging underperformance compared to other countries in the region, said that Indonesia had stepped up efforts in promoting the game to its youth in the last three years.

“The more you get exposure for the young, the more they are interested in golf,” he said. “Indonesia in the last three years has developed what we call a local platform, which is the Indonesian Golf Tour.”

The next level for tournaments, according to Jimmy, includes the Asian Development Tour (ADT), the Asian Tour and the co-sanctioned European-Asian Tour events.

The ADT series this year encompasses 19 tournaments, two of which will be hosted in Indonesia in June and August.

Tan Sri said he was keen to extend assistance to help raise Indonesian golf.

“We have provided a slot for Indonesia’s top golfer to come and play in the Maybank Championship. And we’ll continue to discuss with the association here what other roles we can play. A few years ago we sponsored an ADT event,” he said.