Bank BRI, one of Indonesiaâs leading commercial banks, will title sponsor the prestigious Indonesia Open, which will now boast an increased prize money of US$500,000 when it gets underway from July 12 to 15.
The Indonesia Open, which offered a prize purse of US$300,000 in 2017, received a US$200,000 shot in the arm prior to its return to the popular Pondok Indah Golf Course, home of the countryâs longest-running golf tournament since 2016.
Thailandâs Panuphol Pittayarat, who broke into the worldâs top-200 after claiming his second Asian Tour title at his National Open earlier this month, will return to defend his title at the storied event, which was inaugurated in 1974.
Panuphol, hailed as one of the most consistent players on Tour having secured his card successfully every year since in 2011, broke through for his maiden title at the Indonesia Open, where he claimed a commanding five-shot victory last October.
The 25-year-old Thai will headline the elite field alongside Gaganjeet Bhullar, an eight-time Asian Tour winner who has won the Indonesia Open twice in 2013 and 2016. Bhullar, who enjoyed a joint runner-up finish in Korea in May, will aim to lift the trophy for a record third time this July.
Suprajarto, CEO of Bank BRIÂ said: âThe Indonesia Open is one of the most prestigious National championships in Asia and Bank BRI is truly honoured to title sponsor the tournament once again.”
âWe hope to inspire the local golfers to play their best and hopefully win the event through our sponsorship as that will be a fantastic development for the game in the country,â Suprajarto said.
Asian Tour CEO Josh Burack is confident that the Indonesia Open will attain greater heights with the outstanding support from Bank BRI, the oldest bank in Indonesia.
âOn behalf of the Asian Tour, I would like to thank Bank BRI for its great commitment and support in developing the game in the country. The Indonesia Open has grown from strength to strength over the years and this is a clear indication of golfâs growing influence in the country as well as the region,â said Burack.
The local golfers will be vying to become the first Indonesian champion of their National Open since 1989. The late Kasiadi remains the only Indonesian golfer to win the prestigious event.
Other notable players set to feature in the elite 150-man field include Shiv Kapur of India, American duo Paul Peterson and Berry Henson, as well as Thailandâs Poom Saksansin, all winners on the regionâs premier Tour.
The winner of the Bank BRI Indonesia Open 2018 will take home a winnerâs cheque of US$90,000 and receive a two-year exemption on the Asian Tour.
The co-sponsors of the tournament include PLN, PERTAMINA, TELKOM Indonesia, Batik Air, WIKA, BRILife, BRIAgro, BRISyariah and BRINS. Bank BRI first came on board at the title sponsor of the Indonesia Open in 2014. It returned as joint title sponsor in 2016 and was one of the presenting sponsors in the last edition.
