Jakarta, Indonesia: Faraby Ali held his nerve to upstage in-form Tirto Tamardi and claim top honours in the eighth Faldo Series Indonesia Championship.
Thanks to a closing two-under-par 70 over Damai Indah Golf’s BSD Course in West Java, Ali overturned a one-stroke overnight deficit and edged out defending champion Tamardi.
It was a fine performance from Ali who posted a 54-hole aggregate of one-under-par 215 in the 18th leg of the record-breaking 2014-2015 Faldo Series Asia season.
That was one shot ahead of 15-year-old Tamardi who was a model of consistency throughout, signing for three rounds of even-par 72.
Although Tamardi was unable to retain his title, he will be part of a five-strong Indonesian contingent that will contest the ninth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, an R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event to be hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at Mission Hills Shenzhen in March.
Tamardi qualified as winner of the Boys’ Under-16 Division while Fadhli Rahman Soetarso flourished in the Boys’ Under-18 Division, securing first place following a sudden-death play-off against M. Seandy Alfarabi.
Among the females, Ida Ayu Melati was a runaway winner in the Girls’ Under-21 Division. She set the tone with a solid opening 72 and never looked in danger of relinquishing her early advantage.
It was a closer contest in the Girls’ Under-16 Division with Rivani Adelia Sihotang holding off a brave last-round fightback from Inez Beatrice Wanamarta. Five shots in arrears heading into the final day, Wanamarta closed with a 74, reducing Sihotang’s margin of victory to two strokes.
But making light of a thunder delay on day one and a 45-minute stop for torrential rain on day two it was the performance of Ali that caught the eye as he won the Boys’ Under-21 Division for the second year in succession. This year, though, he showed a marked improvement, bettering his score from 2014 by no fewer than 12 strokes.
Six-time Major champion Sir Nick, Britain’s most successful golfer, said: “To improve by 12 shots from last year is an outstanding effort from Faraby Ali. His victory will, I’m sure, give him plenty of confidence as he prepares for the forthcoming Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.”
Supported by The R&A and Mission Hills and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia campaign stretches over 11 months and is made up of 19 championships.