​​​​​​Fraser, Lahiri And Thongchai Set For Showdown At Bni Indonesian Masters Presented By Zurich 2016-08-31

JAKARTA, 31 August 2016 – Three of the biggest names on the Asian Tour are set for a showdown in October, when Marcus Fraser of Australia goes head to head with India’s Anirban Lahiri and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who holds the record for the most career earnings, at the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Zurich.

The trio will be competing for a share of the US$ 750,000 purse and line honours in the sixth edition of Indonesia’s premier golf tournament, to be held at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club from 6 – 9 October 2016.

The 38-year-old Fraser currently sits atop the Asian Tour Order of Merit with earnings this year of US$ 637,261 having scooped first place at the Malaysia Championship Malaysia in February and followed up with a tied second at the Panasonic Open in Japan two months later.

But the man from Melbourne will certainly meet his match in 2015 Order of Merit winner, Indian star Anirban Lahiri. The 29-year-old will know his way round the Royale Jakarta Golf Club well having won a grandstand finish in 2014 when he beat Korea’s Seukhyun Baek a single shot.

Meanwhile tour veteran Thongchai Jaidee, the only man to have won three Order of Merit titles in Asia, will arrive in Jakarta off the back of a solid year on tour. The 47-year-old rolled back the years to win the 100th Open de France in July this year before putting in a solid performance in The Open Championship at Royal Troon.

All three players represented their country at the Rio Games earlier in the month, with Fraser claiming fifth place on the Olympic Course.

Speaking about his tournament debut in Jakarta, Fraser said: “I’m very much looking forward to coming to Jakarta to play in this year’s BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Zurich. I have not played at Royale Jakarta before but I have heard a lot of good things about the course. It should be a great four days of competition and I am looking forward to the challenges of the course and to adjusting to the conditions in Indonesia with the heat and humidity.”

Said Lahiri: “It’s a course I know well and managed to get top spot when I last played it in 2014 so will be doing my best to pick up from where I left off! My form this year hasn’t been quite where I’ve wanted it to be so in some respects it’s good to get back to a track I know well and see what I can do. It should be a great tournament and look forward to taking on Marcus and hopefully getting a good result.”

Said Thongchai: “I’m very much looking forward to coming back to Jakarta. It’s a good golf course and suits my game. I’ve have a number of top five finishes there over the years and was runner up back in 2011 so will see if we can go one better this time round. I’m pretty happy with my form right now and just enjoying my golf. Look forward to seeing you all in October.”

Jimmy Masrin, Co-Founder of the Indonesian Masters and Chairman of the Asian Tour, added: “We’re delighted to announce the participation of these internationally recognised star players in the 2016 BNI Indonesian Masters presented by Zurich. The players’ records speaks for themselves, and they are without doubt some of the most successful golfers in the Asian Tour’s history. We look forward to welcoming them to Jakarta in October for what will be a very exciting four days of golf. “