New Kuta boasts some spectacular holes.
Bali, Indonesia: Professional golf will return to the Island of the Gods this month.
New Kuta Golf Club has been confirmed as the venue for the second edition of The Players Championship on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) from October 11-14.
The 72-hole stroke play event is title-sponsored by Combiphar, one of Indonesia’s leading consumer healthcare companies, and will boast a purse of US$100,000.
A Pro-Am tournament will mark the opening of the event that is part of Combiphar’s commitment to supporting golf development in Indonesia.
New Kuta is part of the Play Golf Bali partnership of golf clubs that was formed at the start of 2017. The group also consists of Bali National Golf Club, Bukit Pandawa Golf & Country Club and Handara Golf & Resort Bali along with Baltic Tour and Travel, Indonesia’s foremost golf travel operator.
“Bali has all the ingredients for the ultimate golf holiday packages,” said
Baromeus Gosal, President-Director of Baltic Tour and Travel.
“The media exposure generated from staging a professional golf tournament reinforces the reputation that Bali has earned as one of the world’s foremost golfing destinations,” he added.
The staging of The Players Championship is especially poignant for New Kuta, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in October.
Natus Hartono, Club Manager at New Kuta Golf, said: “To celebrate 10 years is quite a landmark – and one that we are proud of. We are also proud to once more welcome professional golfers from around the world.”
To commemorate its anniversary, New Kuta Golf is holding a total of four shotgun starts – two on October 7 and two on October 8.
Best-known of the many tournaments that have taken place at New Kuta is the 2009 Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open, won by Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
This month’s event will feature tournament winners from the ADT and the Professional Golf Tour of Indonesia (PGTI) from 2016 and 2017.
Michael Wanandi, Chief Executive Officer of Combiphar, said: “We are delighted to present the Combiphar Players Championship as our support to the development of golf in Indonesia.
“We believe that Indonesia has many talented players and they are qualified to compete in the international event.
“We believe this event will offer a strong platform for aspiring professionals to excel in the game, especially with Official World Golf Ranking points on offer. We hope the leading players from Indonesia will take advantage of this opportunity to continue pushing the growth of golf in the country and have a chance to participate in the 2020 Olympics.”
Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer
Cho Minn Thant said: “Being a championship for the players, it is important that the event is a mainstay on the schedule.
“The ADT has been a good stepping stone for aspiring golfers to play their way onto the Asian Tour.
“
George Gandranata became the first Indonesian to win on the ADT last March. More recently,
Danny Masrin was awarded an invitation to participate in an Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour event in 2018 through his finish as the highest placed Indonesian in the most recent ADT event in Indonesia.”