The OB Golf Invitational will celebrate its second edition on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) when it gets underway in Indonesia from May 7 to 10.
The US$65,000 event will be staged at the highly-acclaimed Royale Jakarta Golf Club, a world-class Championship course that is a regular host venue of the Indonesian Masters on the Asian Tour.
A talented 144-men field comprising of 86 players from the ADT, 50 players from the PGA Tour of Indonesia (PGATI) and eight invitees are set to compete in the event, which marks the Tour’s first stop in Indonesia this season.
The inaugural OB Golf Invitational in 2018 welcomed a worthy champion in Japan’s Shohei Hasegawa who clinched his maiden ADT victory and first professional win by one shot.
Indonesia’s George Gandranata emerged as the highest-placed local finisher, compiling a three-day total of seven-under-par 206 to take fourth place.
Jimmy Masrin, owner of OB Golf, hailed the return of the tournament which will provide more opportunities for Indonesian players to improve their ranks on the OWGR and boost their chances of representing their country at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“We are thrilled to be back on the ADT schedule, that has proven to be a successful platform for aspiring golfers to gain valuable competitive golf experience.
“We are certain that the staging of this event will once again present an exciting opportunity for our home-grown players to pit their skills against the best in the region and improve on their rankings with the OWGR points on offer,” said Masrin.
Cho Minn Thant, Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Tour, lauded the return of the event on the growing ADT schedule.
“We are delighted to be back in Indonesia for another successful staging of the OB Golf Invitational. The country has produced top-notch players like Danny Masrin, the highest-ranked Indonesian on the OWGR, as well as George Gandranata, a one-time winner on the ADT.
“On behalf of the Tour and our players, we would like to express our appreciation to OB Golf for promoting the event and the PGATI for sharing in the mission of the ADT in supporting the growth of the sport in the region,” said Cho.
The leading seven players on the final ADT Order of Merit will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2020 season.
All ADT events offer Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. The winner will receive at least six OWGR points while the top six players and ties will also earn points based on a sliding scale.
