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Golf: Major Winners Added to Hefty Indonesian Masters Lineup
Ami Afriatni | January 26, 2012

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The Indonesian Masters will have a strong lineup as two major winners confirmed their participation in one of the country’s top tournaments on Thursday.

Ian Woosnam, the 1991 US Masters champion, and 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell will play in the tournament, where defending champion and current world No. 2 Lee Westwood will try to retain his crown.

Other top golfers expected to play in the $750,000 tournament are Thai star Thongchai Jaidee, who with 13 wins has the most victories of any golfer on the Asian Tour, and local ace Rory Hie.

The second edition of the tournament, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Indonesian Professional Golf Association, will be held from April 19 to 22 at Royale Jakarta Golf Club.

For Woosnam, it will be his first appearance in Indonesia.

“I am looking forward to playing in the Indonesian Masters. It will be great to be able to play among some of Asia’s best and experience this event which made so much noise on the world golf scene last year,” the 53-year-old Welshman said in a statement on Thursday.

Woosnam was elected captain for the 2006 Ryder Cup, leading Europe to victory over the United States. He has played on the European Seniors Tour since 2008 and in June last year ended a two-year title drought by winning the Berenberg Bank Masters at in Germany.

New Zealand’s Campbell is best known for having beaten Tiger Woods by two strokes to win the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst for his first, and to date only, major championship.

“Indonesia has been good to me in the past. I won the Alfred Dunhill tournament there in 1995 and I am excited to get back and play in the Indonesian Masters,” the 42-year-old said.

The PGPI announced that organizers had given 20 wild cards for local golfers to play in the tournament, aside from Rory.

“The top five in the national ranking will earn a berth, and we’ll choose the others from several local tournaments before the Indonesian Masters starts,” PGPI chairman Syafei Masnaf said.

Organizers have also started initiatives to develop the game at the grassroots level with the launch of the Indonesian Masters Amateur League.

Participants are required to complete at least three rounds at Royale Jakarta Golf Club on any Tuesday or Wednesday until March 31 and will be ranked by their average score. The player with the best average score will earn the chance to compete in the tournament proper.

Meanwhile, Royale Jakarta chief operating officer George Chandra promised a more challenging course in this year’s Indonesian Masters.

“We are upgrading several holes to make it more difficult for players, especially Hole 12, where eight golfers scored birdies last year,” he said.