Jakarta, August 3: In an outstanding development for golf in Indonesia, the Indonesian Masters has been unveiled today as the prestigious season-ending flagship event on the Asian Tour. The event’s promotor OB GOLF was excited to reveal the popular tournament will be played from December 14 to 17 and will bring the curtain down on the 2017 season.
Now in its seventh season, the event will be played at Royale Jakarta Golf Club and boasts a lucrative purse of US$750,000. Importantly, the new dates for the Indonesian Masters mean the Asian Tour Order of Merit winner will be crowned at the event, and the final standings on the Merit list will be determined. The Tour’s glamorous Awards Night will also take place in the evening of the final day to reward all the winners of 2017.
Adding to the importance of the tournament is the fact that the Asian Tour Oder of Merit winner will receive an exemption into The Open Championship and the World Golf Championships – Mexico Championship. The runner-up on the Merit list also gets to play in the latter event.
The Indonesian Masters is also the third leg of the Panasonic Swing, which is an aggregate points race that spans five events – in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan – where Asian Tour players can earn a share of a lucrative bonus pool.
With such prizes on offer, the Indonesian Masters will boast one of its strongest ever fields – something that will help to ensure the event receives more Official World Golf Ranking points (OWGR). OWGR points are only awarded to tournaments from the leading professional tours from around the world as well as Majors, World Golf Championships, Olympic Games and the World Cup of Golf.
The winner of the Indonesian Masters will receive 20 OWGR, greatly enhancing its status as a world-class event.The Indonesian Masters is also the last event of the year on any main Tour worldwide with significant OWGR points; so players will be vying for the all-important end of year top-50 placings that gets them into the Majors and other lucrative events.
“On behalf of the Asian Tour I would like to welcome the Indonesian Masters as our new season ending event, something that will further strengthen the foundations of the tournament,” said Jimmy Masrin, Founder of the Indonesian Masters and Chairman of the Asian Tour.
“This year promises to be the biggest and best Indonesian Masters and a thrilling finale to the season. The tournament has quickly grown to become one of the premier events in the region and an exciting future lies ahead.”
Royale Jakarta has been the traditional home of the tournament since its inception in 2011 and the club is looking forward to staging this year’s tournament.
“We have witnessed some great finishes to the tournament at Royale Jakarta Golf Club and had the honor of seeing some of the world’s best players, like former world number one Lee Westwood, compete here,” said George Chandra, Chief Operating Officer, Royale Jakarta Golf Club.
“It is with eager anticipation that we prepare for the next edition of the Indonesian Masters, an event doing so much for golf in our country.”
The Indonesian Masters is also a key part of the domestic golfing scene and it will be joint-sanctioned with the PGA Tour of Indonesia (PGATI).
“The Indonesian Masters has established itself as one of our country’s biggest sporting events and it takes pride of place on the schedule of the PGA Tour of Indonesia,” said Johannes Dermawan, Chairman of PGATI.
“The event has done wonders to help develop the landscape of professional golf in our country. It regularly attracts an outstanding field which is so important in helping to inspire our new generation of golfers and in allowing Indonesia to establish itself as a golfing force.”
England’s Lee Westwood has won the tournament a record three times, in 2011, 2012 and 2015; while Austrian Bernd Wiesberger triumphed in 2013 and Anirban Lahiri from India in 2014. Last year, honours went to Thailand’s Poom Saksansin who cruised to a comfortable five-shot victory for his first win on the Asian Tour.
More fireworks and excitement are expected on the course this year as part of a thrilling end to the season, while fans across the region can also catch all the golf live on television as all four days will be broadcast on the Asian Tour’s television platform.
