Indonesian International Championship to launch in 2007

The growth of professional golf in Indonesia will take on a new dimension with the exciting launch of the Indonesian International Championship next year, Asian Tour officials announced today.

The inaugural tournament, which will offer a minimum US$400,000 in total prize money, will be held in the capital city of Jakarta from August 23-26, 2007 with the Asian Tour's top stars including Thaworn Wiratchant and Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Terry Pilkadaris of Australia, Englishman Chris Rodgers and India's Jeev Milkha Singh primed to grace the Tour's latest addition.

The Asian Tour has entered into an agreement with International SPORTS Tour, a new leading Indonesian Professional Sports Promoter which is a Jakarta-based company that provides integrated services for golf in Indonesia. The deal is to stage the Indonesian International Championship until 2009.

The Indonesian PGA and Indonesia Golf Association are also supporting this new initiative where they hope to synergize efforts to unearth new Indonesian champions in the future.

Koko Arto, Chief Executive Officer of International SPORTS Tour, is excited with the birth of the new event and said the Indonesian International Championship would spur the growth of professional golf in Indonesia and across the region.

“We are pleased to forge a new alliance with the Asian Tour, which itself has taken a giant leap forward and is widely regarded as the world's fastest growing circuit,” said Koko.

“The Indonesian International Championship will be a wonderful platform for top-class international players to perform in Jakarta. It is certainly an opportune time for us to launch this event as there is a massive growing interest in golf in our country.

“There is no doubt that this new tournament will benefit Indonesia. It will excite the golfing public, create playing opportunities for Indonesia's leading golfers and ultimately portray Indonesia as a premier golfing destination through international media exposure,” said Koko.

A one-hour Highlight Show of the Indonesian International Championship will be broadcast over ESPN StarSports, reaching 110 million homes across the region. The event will also receive exposure through Asian Tour Weekly, a magazine TV show, and through the international print media.

Koko added that the inaugural event has a bright future ahead with Corporate Indonesia providing its support. “We are putting Indonesia on the world's golfing map. Golf is played with honour, integrity and honesty and these qualities link closely with brand values that are associated Indonesia's leading corporations,” said Koko.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han expressed his confidence that the Indonesian International Championship will be a highly anticipated event with the region's top players gracing the Jakarta fairways.

“One of the goals of the Asian Tour is to constantly create new tournaments in emerging golf nations like Indonesia. I am optimistic that the Indonesian International Championship will have a great future ahead which we believe will raise the profile of the game in Indonesia,” said Han.

“At present, we do not have a single Indonesian player competing on the Asian Tour but with the emergence of exciting events like the Indonesian International Championship, this will all change in the future. We are also looking forward to working closely with the Indonesian PGA and Indonesia Golf Association for the benefit of golf in Indonesia.

“Golf is on the upswing there with many young players learning the game and we are convinced the Indonesian International Championship will unearth new Indonesian golf stars. The Asian Tour will be delighted to assist the local authorities with development programmes."

The Indonesian PGA (PGPI) and Indonesia Golf Association (PGI) said closer cooperation with the Asian Tour will benefit the local players, both amateurs and professionals.

PGI President Jero Wacik, who is also the Indonesian Minister of Culture and Tourism, said: “We will synergize our efforts with the PGPI and Asian Tour to boost the standard of play amongst Indonesian golfers.

“As the governing body for amateur golf in Indonesia, there is a need to forge a closer link with the Indonesian PGA as eventually, our top amateur players will join the professional rank. Therefore, through our close association with the Indonesian International Championship, our top amateurs will have the opportunity to see what is required for them to excel on the Asian Tour and aspire to be the best.

“We hope to see our top four amateurs playing well in the event and I believe the experience of competing in the Indonesian International Championship will benefit their careers in the long run."

A total of 16 professional and four amateur players from Indonesia will compete in the inaugural event. Mr. Nursalam Tabusalla, Executive Director of PGPI, the sanctioning body of Professional Golf in Indonesia, said: “The Indonesian International Championship will be a wonderful platform for our local professional players to get a taste of top class golf and with the ever growing interest among the people here, it will be a truly exciting affair.

“The development of golf in the country will benefit greatly and hopefully, this will generate keener interest amongst our young and aspiring players. It is our ambition that one day, we will have an Asian Tour champion who hails from Indonesia and I believe the Indonesian International Championship will pave the way for us to see this dream come true,” he added.

November 7, 2006

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