The winner of Miss Indonesia 2012, Ines Putri Tjiptadi, is to replace crown and gown with golf clubs and caddie to compete in the Ladies Indonesia Open, which teed off in Jakarta yesterday.
The 23-year-old beauty queen is also a leading amateur golfer, winning the ladies Singapore amateur championship in 2010 and securing gold and silver medals in 2004 in Indonesia’s national championships.
She has been paired in the opening round with Australian star Stacey Keating, fresh from back-to-back Ladies European Tour wins, and Nontaya Srisawang from Thailand, who claimed the Thailand Ladies Open in February.
Photo: EPA
“I am very nervous as I have hardly played for the last five months. I just hope I don’t finish last,” Tjiptadi said, according to a statement from the event organizers.
“I have had a lot to do since winning Miss Indonesia in April, including competing in Miss World. I am just aiming to have fun this week and learn from some of the best players,” she added.
Tjiptadi is the first Balinese ever to win Miss Indonesia and she also made it into the top 13 at August’s Miss World in the Inner Mongolian city of Ordos in China.
Her golf career is on hold this year, but she plans to focus on it next season.
“There is so much I want to do with golf. I really want to help promote the sport in our country and show that it is not a game only played by wealthy people,” Tjiptadi said.
“I also want to get involved in television and host a golf show. However, playing is what I love and I would still like to turn professional in a couple of years,” she added.
The Enjoy Jakarta Ladies Indonesia Open is the most lucrative women’s national open championship in Southeast Asia, with the winner earning US$30,000.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Aaron Civale got a little wild in the right-hander’s first start for the Chicago White Sox two days after he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Civale on Sunday walked four of the first seven hitters he faced in a 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. The 30-year-old finished with four walks, one off his career high, while allowing six hits and two runs in five innings. He threw 65 strikes and 39 balls. Chicago trailed 2-1 when he was replaced by Dan Altavilla to start the sixth. “Not the cleanest,” Civale said. “It’s been a whirlwind of a week. First couple
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the