IASAS Invitational gives Authentic Test for hopeful Golfers
by on Jan.06, 2010, under Features
The TAS girls’ golf team has been synonymous with “IASAS Champions” for the last two years. Yet this year, with the departure of individual champion Sharon Li, the girls’ golf team dropped to 3rd position overall. The boys team remained consistent and eked out SAS to claim 5th place after a brutal two rounds at Jakarta International School (JIS) on the 13th and 14th of November.
Brutal is probably the last word that comes to mind when one pictures the game of golf. Yet, this is the word that Ben Cho (12), captain of the golf team used to describe the two rounds: “It was incredibly brutal. The heat was intense so staying mentally focused on each shot was difficult. Both courses were tricky in their own ways, the Old Course being narrow and the Z-Nine [the name of a course played on the second day] being bent. Focus is so important in golf.”
Ryan Chen (11) concurs, “Golf is a rough game; it focuses on mental strength. The players were split between the high scorers and the low. In the end, the ones that scored well could battle the heat and the frustration.”
The first of the two rounds was played on the Old Course Jagorawi Golf Club, the same as in 2007. Jason Chen (10) said, “The course was really narrow and it had a lot of trees and hazards which meant the course was really challenging for most of the players, I myself lost 5 balls on the Old Course.”
However, the 18-hole Old Course was straightforward compared to the convoluted 9 holes on the Z-Nine and the New Course played on the second day. Tiffany Su (11) the lowest scoring (best) player on the entire team with a total of 158 over 2 days, said, “The old course was longer, with more trees in the way, and with faster greens. The Z-Nine was different, twisted and tricky. Bunkers were in just the right places, so you really had to plan your attack. The greens were harder to read. It was more about the strategy than anything.”
On the New Course, Christina Lun (11) a three year veteran, said, “The New Course was longer than the Z-Nine, but since the fairways were pretty straight, it a lot friendlier. Plus I lost fewer balls.
Coach David Iverson holds an optimistic view of the performance, “I really think that most players rose to the challenge as well can be expected given the difficulty level of the course. [The holes] were literally carved out of jungle. When teams like JIS have all single handicap players and have easy access to actual courses, it is very difficult to compete with them.”
Although the performance of the team wasn’t particularly spectacular, many players saw the tournament as good experience for next year. Ratan Kaushal (9), the youngest rookie, said “Although my performance was not particularly amazing, as I lost 7 balls in total, it was still a fun experience. I hope to practice more before next year’s tournament, and score better for the team.”
Ben, although leaving next year, has seen a lot of improvement in the tournament. “The tournaments at JIS and Bangkok were pretty hectic. This year, there were fewer problems with scores and they even provided drinks. Hopefully it’ll get better and better organized until it becomes a real IASAS.”
Vyson H. (11)
1 Comment for this entry
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April 28th, 2010 on 3:40 pm
Hello from Bangkok,
I’m the yearbook advisor for ISB. Do you have any photos of the tournament…especially with ISB golfers? We’re short of photos.
Thank you,
Keith Miller