Jakarta, 22 October 2019 --- The highly anticipated BNI Indonesian Masters golf tournament will be held again for the ninth time at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club on 12 to 15 December 2019. In addition to remaining part of the Panasonic Swing series, the winner of the prestigious Asian Tour event will also advance to the World Golf Championships - FedEx St. Jude Invitational which will be held in 2020.
By becoming the flagship Asian Tour tournament, the BNI Indonesian Masters will reward the winner with at least 20 OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) points, ensuring that many players benefit from breaking points in the second-final tournament of the 2019 season.
OWGR points will be more significant because they will be used to determine the qualifications of 60 players for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, next July. This will also be the key for players competing to qualify for major tournaments next year.
The Indonesian Masters has played a key role in the development of golf in Indonesia and in Southeast Asia since its debut in 2011. This is proof when Indonesia welcomed Rory Hie, who won the Asian Tour from Indonesia for the first time, when he won in India last month.
Last year, the Thai golfer, Poom Saksansin defeated his rivals and won the 2018 Indonesian Masters with a three-stroke lead for his third title on the Asian Tour.
Through this victory, Poom showed that he did not easily submit to the ranks of elite golfers, including well-known players such as Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, who were then no. 1 and 27 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the time the tournament rolled.
Poom, who recorded a five-stroke lead to win his first Asian Tour title in 2016, was the second player after Lee Westwood to win the Indonesian Masters more than once. Previously, Westwood had won the Indonesian Masters three times - in 2011, 2012 and 2015.
The Austrian golfer, Bernd Wiesberger won the Indonesian Masters title in 2013, while Anirban Lahiri from India emerged victorious in 2014. Rose scored her third victory in seven weeks while winning the Indonesian Masters 2017 with an eight-shot lead over her closest competitor. He also scored a total score of 29 under-par (259) in four days of the tournament.
"Representing all of our members, I would like to welcome the return of the BNI Indonesian Masters on the 2019 Asian Tour season. The Indonesian Masters has developed into one of the prestigious events in the Southeast Asian region for several years and I believe that this tournament will present a lively golf week when it takes place at Next December," said Cho Minn Thant, the Commissioner and CEO of the Asian Tour.
The Indonesian Masters, which since being held for the first time in 2011 continue to make rapid progress, will be supported by PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BNI), a state bank, for the fourth time this December.
Anggoro Eko Cahyo, the BNI’s Consumer Business Director said, "This year is the fourth time we are active in Indonesian Masters activities. We think the Indonesia Masters event is a good place to show that Indonesia is a potential country for investment through BNI. Besides that, we hope that we will be able to participate in developing golf, as well as being able to attract young, outstanding golfers from Indonesia who can speak internationally."
The Indonesian Masters is the third leg of the 2019/20 Panasonic Swing, a ranking-based tournament series with aggregate points covering five tournaments and participated by Asian Tour players.
Aside from BNI, this prestigious international event is also supported by BRI Bank. Prilly Savitri, the EVP Marketing Communication at Bank Rakyat Indonesia, expressed her support for the 2019 Indonesian Masters event. "International level tournaments like this, provide valuable experience because this event is attended by golfers from all over the world. In addition to developing golf in the country, this international tournament is also good for introducing Indonesia to foreign countries," said Prilly.
While Hilmi Panigoro as President Director of MedcoEnergi revealed, "We strongly support the holding of the Indonesian Masters 2019. For us this event is a leading event in the country and we hope that our participation can continue to improve golf achievements in Indonesia."
Golf enthusiasts in Southeast Asian region can also watch the actions of their favorite golfers during the four-day Indonesian Masters performance on the Asian Tour television platform. The Indonesian Masters, which were held for the first time in 2011, will be the second-final tournament in the 2019 Asian Tour season. "Hopefully this tournament will take place successfully at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club," concluded Cho Minn Thant.
About Indonesian Masters
Indonesian Masters is an international-scale professional golf tournament in Indonesia that has been rolling since 2011. The Indonesian Masters was conceived by Jimmy Masrin, an entrepreneur who has a passion for golf that he has known since the 1980s. Through the Indonesian Masters, Jimmy Masrin dreamed that Indonesia could be in the global arena through the golf platform.
Every year the Indonesian Masters are able to bring world stars, such as Lee Westwood, Thongchai Jaidee, Ian Woosnam, Michael Campbell, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Thomas Bjorn, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Brandt Snedeker, Henrik Stenson, and Justin Rose - who at that time is the No. 1 World’s golfer - even appeared in the 2018 Indonesian Masters for the second time after winning the tournament in 2017. Until entering the eighth year in 2018, the Indonesian Masters has become the largest and most prestigious professional tournament in Indonesia.
The existence of Indonesian Masters was recognized in the Asian continent, so that several times became the closing tournament calendar for the Asian Tour season and became an important event in determining the title of the Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM), as well as being one of the five Panasonic Swing events that provided a total bonus attractive to Asian Tour players, since 2017.
About Bank Negara Indonesia
PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BNI was established on 5 July 1946 and became the first state-owned bank born after the Indonesian independence. BNI had functioned as a central bank and commercial bank as stipulated in Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2/1946, before finally operating as a commercial bank since 1955.
Up to Semester I of 2019, BNI has 2,372 outlets scattered in 34 provinces and 420 regencies/cities. BNI has 33 Medium Credit Centers (SKM), 25 Small Credit Centers (SKC), 44 Small Credit Units (UKC), and 12 Consumer & Retail Loan Centers (LNC).
BNI now has 18,405 ATMs spread across 34 provinces and 521 regencies/cities, including 6 (six) ATMs abroad, namely 4 ATMs in Hong Kong and 2 ATMs in Singapore. The ATM network can also serve debit card transactions bearing the GPN logo, Link, ATM Bersama, and Prima.
BNI as the holding company has had 5 subsidiaries, namely BNI Syariah (sharia banking), BNI Life (insurance), BNI Securities (capital market), BNI Multifinance (financing), and BNI Remittance (remittance). BNI Asset Management is a subsidiary of BNI Securities.
About Bank Rakyat Indonesia
PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or Bank BRI is one of the largest banks in Indonesia which was established since 16 December 1895. Until now, BRI is a bank that is consistent in providing services to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) segment. In addition, BRI also continues to innovate in developing various products through digital platforms, such as consumer banking products to institutional services intended for urban communities. In an effort to improve the quality of transaction services, Bank BRI continues to develop a network of work units both conventional and e-channel. Based on data as of the end of December 2018, Bank BRI has 9,647 conventional networks, consisting of 7,586 micro networks, including the BRI Teras and the Mobile BRI Teras, 964 Cash Offices, 609 Sub-Branch Offices, 468 Branch Offices, and 19 Regional Offices all of which are connected in real time online. To optimize the network and use of the latest technology to support the growth of the banking business, BRI has launched the first and only Banking Satellite in the world, namely BRIsat which was launched on 18 June 2016 (Kourou time), in Kourou, French Guiana. To improve access and financial literacy, BRI has 401,550 BRILink agents and 3 Ship Teras to reach the islands in Indonesia. For more information, please visit www.bri.co.id.
About MedcoEnergi
PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk ("MedcoEnergi") is a leading energy and natural resource company in Southeast Asia which is listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (MEDC-IDX). MedcoEnergi has three main business segments, Oil & Gas, Power and Mining. MedcoEnergi explores and produces oil and gas mainly in Indonesia and expands its presence in Southeast Asia. The MedcoEnergi business group operates gas, geothermal and water power plants in Indonesia through Medco Power Indonesia and non-consolidated ownership in Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara which operates Indonesia's large copper and gold mine.
About Asian Tour
As an official part of professional golf in Asia, the Asian tour leads the progress of golf in various regions, enhances the careers of its members and is also highly committed to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through membership in the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only pan-asian professional golf tour that is recognized. This unique feature positions the Asian Tour at the pinnacle of professional golf in Asia; Provides events with Official World Ranking status. Tour partners include Rolex (Official Timekeeper), Panasonic (Official Consumer Electronics), Habitat for Humanity (Official Sustainable Development Partner), Titleist (Official Web Partner), Footjoy (Supplier), Wall Street Journal (Official International Media Partner). Sentosa, Singapore is the Home of the Asian Tour which also has an office in Kuala Lumpur. Asian Tour is an affiliate partner of The R&A. Visit us at: www.asiantour.com.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Secretary BNI
Phone: 021-5728387
Email: bni@bni.co.id