Asia's top golfers will compete in next month's US$1 million Indonesia Open, including China's number one Liang Wenchong, former winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand as well as Mardan Mamat of Singapore.
The tournament, presented by Enjoy Jakarta, will be held at Damai Indah Golf - Pantai Indah Kapuk Course in North Jakarta from July 1 to 4. The Indonesia Open is making its debut with OneAsia and will be the fifth event on its year-long schedule.
Liang has already triumphed on OneAsia this year in the season-opening Luxehills Chengdu Open, where he won in a sudden-death play-off. It was his second OneAsia victory as he also claimed the Midea China Classic in 2009.
He says he is looking forward to competing in the Indonesia Open.
"My two OneAsia victories have both been in China. They were in front of my home fans with great support so I now want to show that I can play at the same level overseas," Liang said in a media release dated Wednesday.
"The Indonesia Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the region with many famous winners so it is a title I would love to win."
The 31-year-old, who also claimed the 2008 Hero Honda Indian Open and the Singapore Masters in 2007, is currently ranked 89 in the world.
Thaworn meanwhile was victorious in the Indonesia Open in 2005, the year he finished Asia's number one player. The veteran golfer has claimed 11 titles on the Asian Tour with his last coming in the 2009 Macau Open.
He won Indonesia's national Open by five strokes in 2005 at Cengkareng Golf Club in Jakarta with an amazing four round total of 25-under-par 255.
Mamat has two events to his name in the region most notably, the 2006 Singapore Masters and 2004 Indian Open. His success in India saw him become the first Singaporean to win the Asian Tour.
Both Thaworn and Mamat will be hoping to join Liang as a winner of OneAsia, launched last year to provide leading players in the Asia-Pacific region with an alternative to the PGA Tour and the European Tour.
This season, OneAsia has more than doubled in size to 11 tournaments with a total of more than $12 million prize money. OneAsia was founded by the China Golf Association, the PGA of Australia, the Korean Golf Association and the Korea Golf Tour.
"To boast players of the caliber of Liang Wenchong, Thaworn Wiratchant and Mardan Mamat is a strong indication of how highly regarded the Indonesia Open is," said Arifin Panigoro, the president of the Indonesian Golf Association (PGI).
"We look forward to welcoming them to Indonesia."
The organizer said that other leading names would be announced shortly.
The Indonesia Open was first played in 1974 when the legendary Ben Arda of the Philippines won the title. Arda, the first Filipino to play in the US Masters, was followed into the winner's circle by several greats of the game including American Payne Stewart (1981) and Frank Nobilo from New Zealand (1994 and 1997).
Thai star Thongchai Jaidee had his name engraved on the trophy last season after a two-stroke victory at Bali's New Kuta Golf & Ocean View Resort.
