ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Ben Leong claims maiden victory PGA: Jeev and Wi tie for ninth Prom targets Thai win in Brunei Shin Ji-yai takes Women's British Open Asian Tour starts 2nd half on a high Norman to play 2009 Johnnie Walker Mission Hills to host AP Summit GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Hanson claims a one stroke win Pettersson wins on his local course Funk wins first senior major title Hull snatches maiden LPGA win Tiger Woods won't swing a club till 2009 Michelle Wie defends herself again

Wi seeks more success in Indonesia

Korean star Charlie Wi will not dwell on his recent success as he bids for more glory at the US$1 million Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open starting tomorrow.

Wi blasted his way past the field in the Malaysian Open a fortnight ago, an event co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours, and after a week's break, he is looking for back-to-back victories.

The American-based Wi will compete against a pool of talented Asian stalwarts at Emeralda Golf Club including title holder Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, compatriot Thongchai Jaidee, India’s Shiv Kapur, winner of last season’s Volvo Masters of Asia, Chinese ace Zhang Lian-wei and Englishman Chris Rodgers.

“It feels really good having won a tournament but it’s a new week now,” said Wi, a seven-time winner on the Asian Tour.

Wi prevented a historic treble bid by Thai sensation Thongchai who finished second in Malaysia. That triumph propelled the 34-year-old Wi to the top of the Asian Tour’s UBS Order Of Merit and has installed him as firm favourite in Jakarta this week.

However, Wi insists that success is not guaranteed simply because he won recently. “What I’ve done two weeks ago is the past and now I have to start anew. I want to look beyond that win and give myself a chance this week by playing some good golf,” he said.

Wi used his free time last week to sign a new equipment endorsement deal with TaylorMade and then flew home to Los Angeles to furnish his new home. Despite not spending much time on the course, the Korean is confident of a strong outing here.

“A top-10 would be a good result for me and anything better will be an added bonus. I hope to compete on the Asian Tour schedule right through till May and see what happens after that,” he said.

Rodgers, meanwhile, will be hoping that his 30th birthday on Sunday will bring a change of fortune in Indonesia. It has been a trying period who enjoyed a flying start to the year when he won the Asian Tour Qualifying School in January and went on to win the Pakistan Open.

Subsequently though, he has missed the cut in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth and in Malaysia last month. “It’s been a while as I’ve missed the cut in the past two events so I am adamant on a good run here,” said Rodgers.

“I had five solid days of practice last week to try and iron out the weaknesses and make sure everything is good. I would like to make the cut here and deliver a decent result.

“The conditions here are good and I’m playing quite well the past two days so it’s been great so far. I have been working on my short game, pitching and putting and it has worked out well,” he said.

Four local professional golfers will make their appearance this week with Indonesian No.1 Ilyassyak leading the fray. Despite the lack of exposure, Illyassyak, who turned pro in 1993 at the age of 28, is eager to challenge the international field and hopes to find some success.

“I am not intimidated by the field but will use the experience to boost my morale when I compete in future local events,” said Ilyassyak.

“Golf is a growing sport here and my involvement in this year’s Indonesia Open will only give me the edge over the rest of my compatriots when we face off on the domestic front.

“The amount of exposure and experience I will gain here is beyond anything I can ever get from the local competitions. I hope that the Indonesia Open will be the spring board to the creation of many more local competitions,” he said.

The HSBC Indonesia Open is jointly sanctioned by the Asian tour and European Tour.

March 1, 2006