James Byrne seeks successful title defence

 in Indonesia 

Jakart: James Byrne from Banchory plans a stout title defence when he tees up at the US$100,000 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament which starts on Wednesday.

The US$100,000 Asian Development Tour (ADT) tournament will feature the region’s best players, including 2014 ADT Order of Merit champion Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand and current Merit leader Hsieh Chi-hsien of Chinese Taipei, at the BSD course by Damai Indah Golf. 

Talented prospects George Gandranata, William Sjaichuddin and Rory Hie will spearhead the local charge as they aim to become the first Indonesian player to win on the ADT at the Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament, which is the burgeoning Tour’s second stop in Indonesisa this season.

Despite not playing to his true potential this season, Byrne is confident of staging a successful title defence as he chases for a third ADT victory.

“My game’s feeling pretty good going into this week. My results haven’t been great lately but I have had the occasional spurts of good form and it feels like something good is waiting around the corner. Hopefully it’s coming soon,” said the 26-year-old Byrne, a former Walker Cup star.

Byrne is eager to repeat last year’s final round heroics where he sank a 40-footer eagle putt on the last hole 18^th to claim his second ADT title by three shots. 

“I remember everything about my win last year! Sinking that eagle putt on the 18^th hole has got to be one of the best moments in my career so far. I have had many good memories on this golf course and it’s always nice when you are defending the title,” added Byrne.

Although he is playing on home soil this week, Gandranata is not feeling the pressure of competing in front of his home crowd. 

“I’m not feeling any pressure playing at home this week. You want to play well wherever you play and it is no difference with this event. All I have to do is to formulate a good plan and execute it accordingly.

“The course is in great shape and it will provide great challenges to all the players. I have been working on my ball striking and the game should be good. I have been hitting a lot of greens and if the putts drop, it should be a good week,” said the 29-year-old Indonesian, who is chasing for a maiden win on the ADT. 

Other notable players include Mardan Mamat of Singapore, American duo Anthony Kang and Berry Henson, Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka and ADT winners Janne Kaske of Finland, Australian Jake Stirling and Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat.

Since it was inaugurated in 2010, the ADT has grown from five events in the first year to 21 tournaments in 2014. A record 24 tournaments has been confirmed for the 2015 season.

The ADT will continue to reward the top-five finishers on the final Order of Merit with Asian Tour cards for 2016.