JAKARTA, January 29, 2008 – Organizers and sponsors of the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open, the annual world-class golf tournament sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour, have announced some well known names who will be ready to compete for the record prize purse of US$ 1.2 million.

“We are pleased to welcome Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Jeev Milka Singh as some of the world's best golfers from the Asia Tour and European Tour to the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open 2008,” said Ichsan Lumbantobing , Executive Vice President, Marketing and Customer Care, PT Direct Vision (Astro) . “Astro is proud to be sponsoring an event that will highlight the best of Indonesian hospitality and sport, and we are confident that this will be the best Indonesia Open ever.”

Known as one of the few mortals who ever defeated world number one Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke became the first player to win the English Open three times and in 2003 became the first player outside Tiger Woods to capture more than one World Golf Championship title. He also beat Woods at the memorable 2000 WGC Anderson Consulting Match Play Championships as well as the 2006 Ryder Cup. “I am looking forward to making my debut at the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open 2008 as I have heard that it's a great and challenging course. My game is really coming together this season and I will be looking to build on this when the tour reaches Asia ”, Darren Clarke says.

A previous player at Indonesia Open in 2005, Paul McGinley finished tied for 11 th . “Cengkareng Golf Club is a spectacular course and such a real joy to play at. I hope to do better in Indonesia this time round”, McGinley says. Paul McGinley achieved his place in golfing folklore by holing the winning putt on his Ryder Cup debut in 2002. He is also the winner of Europe 's showpiece event, the 2005 Volvo Masters, representing the pick of his nine professional wins. Despite a recent knee injury, Paul achieved his first top five finish of 2007 at the Hana Bank Vietnam Masters, making it a fantastic springboard for his 2008 campaign.

Jeev Milka Singh is the first Indian golfer to qualify for the European Tour, winning a coveted card at qualifying school in 1997. Now one of the hardest working professionals on the tour, Jeev played a remarkable 39 events in 2006, winning the Volvo Masters and the Volvo China Open and topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit. “I have spent many years playing on both the European Tour and Asian Tour and each co-sanctioned event remains special to me. I will be arriving in Indonesia fresh from playing in my home country at the Indian Masters so hopefully I will be on fine form”.

“To add to the international line up of professional golfers, I am pleased to announce that Indonesia will also be fielding a record number of 14 Indonesian players, thanks to the support of our co-title sponsor Astro,” said Jero Wacik, head of the Indonesia Golfer's Association (PGI). “We are fielding the best of Indonesia 's golfing sportsmen, all based on their order of merit, providing opportunities for our players to learn and advance in their field of sport.”

Indonesia will be represented by 6 amateur players, including SEA Game Bronze medalist Andik Mauludin, Benyta Yuniarto, Suprapto and Hardjito. The PGI also held a qualifier competition with some of Indonesia 's top amateur golfers, resulting in the addition of Yahya Abidin and Arya Aryanto joining the ranks. On the professional side, the Indonesian Professional Golfer's Association (PGPI) submitted its top six Indonesian players to compete in the tournament, namely Junaidi Ibrahim, Ilyassyak, Maan Nasim, Denny Supriadi, Sarmilih S, and I Ketut Sugiarta. They were selected based on the PGPI's Order of Merit.

“Astro has agreed to use one of its sponsorship invites to bring in another national player,” said Mr. Wacik. “Sanusi is the player next in line on the PGPI order of merit and will now be competing in this world-class event.”

“We are committed to advance Indonesia within the world of sport and tourism,” said Mr. Ichsan. “This event will be seen worldwide in 680 million households, and soon they will see the name ‘ Indonesia ', its players and hospitality. By inviting Darren, Paul and Jeev to our event, as well as utilizing our sponsor invite for two more Indonesian professional golfers, the competition at the Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open 2008 will be a memorable one, as it will allow our local professionals to test their skills against some of the world's best. In addition, this tournament will also show the world that Indonesia is a great host for golf!”

DKI Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, as the other co-title sponsor, says. “ Jakarta is a hidden jewel for golf tourism as we already have at least 40 world-class golf courses within an hour's drive of the city center.” “With the eyes of the world upon us, the city of Jakarta is looking forward to be the gracious host for this internationally-acclaimed event. This tournament will highlight Jakarta as a safe and excellent tourist destination, particularly for golf tourism in the region.”

Since 2005, the Indonesia Open has been a highly competitive tournament, thanks to the participation of international calibered players such as Mikko Ilonen (2007 Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open champion), Simon Dyson (2006 champion) and Thaworn Wiratchant (2005 champion).

The tournament venue, the Cengkareng Golf Club, is the club of choice for many Jakarta residents, located just a swing away from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport . Managed by Hong Kong-based CCA International, the Cengkareng Golf Club was host to the first Indonesia Open in 2005 and has consistently maintained its international standards as a championship golf course.

The tournament is also Indonesia 's sole sporting event that offers a total purse of over one million dollars or US$ 1,200,000 to be precise. Last year, over 12,000 visitors came to directly view the competition over four days. This year, organizers are targeting 25,000 visitors.

About Astro Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia Open

The Astro Enjoy Jakarta Indonesian Open is now in its fourth year and this year pay TV provider Astro together with the Jakarta Tourism Board return as the primary sponsor for the ‘Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open'. This tournament is the result of a partnership between the Asian Tour and the Indonesian Golf Association that was introduced in 2003. The 2008 tournament offers a prize purse of US$1,200,000.00 and will feature world class players who will once again compete in this prestigious event. The Enjoy Jakarta Astro Indonesia Open will be held from February 14 to 17 at the Cengkareng Golf Course, located next to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport .

About Astro

Pay TV provider Astro began operations in Indonesia on February 28, 2006 with 48 channels that consists of the Citta, Arena, Sinema and Dinasti plans. The Citta plan provides basic entertainment that includes children's entertainment, science, news, entertainment, music, film and terrestrial television. Within this plan, there are 5 (five) self produced channels that include Astro Ceria (a special channel for children), Astro Aruna (a special channel for Indonesian ‘sinetron' soap operas for the female segment), Astro Kirana (a special channel for non-Hollywood films), Astro Xpresi (an Indonesian youth lifestyle and infotainment channel), and Astro Awani (a special news and lifestyle channel). Three of the five channels, namely Astro Ceria, Astro Kirana, and Astro Aruna, have been exported to Malaysia and Brunei since September 1, 2006. The five self produced channels are what differentiate Astro from other pay TV operators.