Road to Simone Asia Pacific Cup begins with two-day Indonesian Qualifying Tournament for hopefuls

AGLF continues to develop women’s golf in Indonesia

Eugene Group to donate funds for amateurs competing in the Simone Asia Pacific Cup

Jakarta, November 22: The Qualifying Tournament (QT) for the 2023 Simone Asia Pacific Cup is set to tee off at the Pondok Indah Golf Course from November 23-24.

Organised by the Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF) and PGA Tour of Indonesia (PGATI), the QT is open to professional and amateur golfers from Indonesia where the top three professional players and the top two amateur players will eventually punch their tickets to the Simone Asia Pacific Cup after two days of 36 holes of stroke play.

The five Indonesian players along with an AGLF nominated player from the host country will then compete in three teams of two for the national team competition and also for the individual competition. 

As part of its commitment towards the development of golf in Indonesia, Eugene Group (Chairman Kyung-Sun Yu) will donate funds for amateur players participating in the Simone Asia Pacific Cup and award special scholarships to promising amateurs.

Indonesia is still considered an unexplored territory in terms of women's golf. Barbra Mizrahier remains the only Indonesian-born player to have competed on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour when she made her debut in 1987.

With approximately a dozen registered female professionals from Indonesia, the AGLF is actively promoting women's golf in the Asia-Pacific region- including Indonesia and providing opportunities for further growth.

Local golfer Tatiana Wijaya, who participated in the inaugural Simone Asia Pacific Cup last year said: “The Simone Asia Pacific Cup is a very special golf tournament in many ways. We get the opportunity to play against the best golfers in the APAC region right here at home.”

The return of the Simone Asia Pacific Cup to Pondok Indah Golf Course next month will feature 58 players from 16 countries, including Korea, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. 

Korea's top stars include Da Yeon Lee, Rookie of the Year Min-byul Kim, and Youmin Hwang, while Thailand will be represented by former LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year Atthaya Thitikul. Nasa Hataoka, who boasts six LPGA Tour wins and six JLPGA Tour wins, will spearhead the Japanese challenge.

AGLF spokesperson said: "We see this qualifying tournament as a strategic partnership with PGATI and we hope to be a stepping stone for the development of women's golf in Indonesia. Playing alongside such players will surely provide invaluable experiences for Indonesian golfers and hopefully motivate the country to improve and strive for bigger goals.”

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About Asia Golf Leaders Forum (AGLF)

The AGLF was launched in 2020 with the vision of developing women's golf in the Asia Pacific region. It is comprised of 14 national governing bodies (KGA and KLPGA in Korea) from 13 countries, including South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, India, Myanmar, and SingaporeThere are currently 10 corporate members and they include Hoban Consulting, Baz International, Yeoun, Sky72, Sollago CC, Yuseong CC, GA Korea, Solhaeone, Pondok Indah Golf Course (PIGC), Golfzon China. The R&A is a special member of the AGLF.

About Simone Asia Pacific Cup

The Simone Asia Pacific Cup brings together teams from 13 countries and 14 golf associations, where female golfers compete in team and individual events in the 54-hole stroke play tournament. It is part of the series of tournaments on the Ladies Asian Tour (LAT) Series. The inaugural edition in 2022 saw Philippines' Princess Mary Superal held off some of the world's best golfers to claim her maiden professional international title at the Pondok Indah Golf Course then. Team Korea clinched the team competition title. 

About Eugene Group

Founded in 1954, Eugene Group is a large South Korean conglomerate, producing industry, media, construction, and confectionery products. It also has subsidiaries that provide financial, IT, advertising, broadcasting, logistics, and food services. In addition, it operates a couple golf courses and home improvement stores.