Jakarta, Indonesia: The BNI Indonesian Masters will return to its traditional home at Royale Jakarta Golf Club for the ninth edition of the Asian Tour’s flagship event.

To be held from December 12-15, the 72-hole tournament is the penultimate event of the 2019 Asian Tour season and acts as part of the Panasonic Swing.

As well as being rewarded with a starting spot in next year’s World Golf Championships – FedEx St Jude Invitational, the champion at Royale Jakarta will be awarded no less than 20 Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

The OWGR points will be used to determine players’ qualification for the 60-man golf tournament at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan next July.

Last year’s Indonesian Masters was won by Thailand’s Poom Saksansin, who fended off the challenges of Major winners and European Ryder Cup stalwarts Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson.

“On behalf of our members, I would like to welcome the return of the BNI Indonesian Masters onto the 2019 schedule. The tournament has grown into one of the premier events in the region and I believe it will be another exciting week of golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO, Asian Tour, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

For the third time, the Indonesian Masters is being backed by PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BNI), an Indonesian state-owned bank.

Anggoro Eko Cahyo, Consumer Business Director of Bank Negara Indonesia, said: “We are thrilled to be back as title sponsor of the Indonesian Masters. This year, 144 professional and amateur golfers will compete to show their best skills.

“Through BNI support, we sincerely hope to be able to help in the development of golf, and be able to capture young talented golfers from Indonesia who can show their exceptional talents internationally.”

The Indonesian Masters is the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing, a ranking based on an aggregate points race that spans five events with Asian Tour players chasing a share of a bonus pool.