Opportunity knocks again this week for Gabriel Hansel Hari – Indonesia’s former amateur star, who made the transition to the play for pay game two months ago.

He will tee-off in the Jakarta International Championship at Damai Indah Golf – PIK Course on Thursday in just his second tournament on the Asian Tour as a professional.

The 22-year-old is well and truly up for the tournament – to the extent that he has worn himself out practicing over the past week and had to make a trip to his doctor.

He said: “I just practiced for like a week. I think I didn’t have enough rest, and yesterday I felt bad, and I went to the doctor.

“My bones were like aching due to too much practice. I was pretty sore, but now it’s like, it’s better. I am good to go.”

Indonesia expects big things from the boy from East Java, where his dad first taught him to play the game aged seven on a nine-hole course.

He was part of the country’s team that won the Putra Cup two years ago in Malaysia. The tournament, also known as the Southeast Asia Amateur Team Championship, is arguably the region’s most prestigious amateur event and has been a platform for some of Asia’s biggest names.

Indonesia had not won it for 29 years, but he and his team-mates Jonathan Xavier Hartono, Rayhan Abdul Latief, and Randy Arbenata Mohamad Bintan ran away with the title by 13 strokes from Vietnam.

Bintan won the individual title, Latief was runner-up and Hari secured third.

“It was an incredible moment. I had an incredible time in the amateur game, and that was the pinnacle,” said the Indonesian.

“It has certainly been a big change moving into the pro game, definitely more pressure – but I am really enjoying it, it’s been fun.”

The transition has been a successful one. He turned professional in July, and the following month finished second in a local event.

He adds: “The standard on the Asian Tour is very high. The cuts are so slow. I really need to work hard on my game to be successful.”

His goal is to secure his Asian Tour card, something he is trying to do this year by playing on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), where the top-10 on the final Order of Merit earning playing rights on the main tour next year.

Should he not succeed through the ADT, he will head to Qualifying School at the end of the year.

Hari’s time in the amateur game also saw him spend four years at the University of Oregon on a golf scholarship, where he earned a degree in business.

Former PGA Tour player Casey Martin from the United States, also a team-mate of compatriot Tiger Woods at Stanford University, is the head coach there and Hari was able to benefit greatly from his expertise.

“He’s a great coach and taught me how to play the golf courses there. I grew up in Indonesia, the courses are very different – so he helped me learn how to play the courses there.”

He admits he struggled during his time in States, as it was such a big change.

“I wasn’t used to cold weather,” he says. “I did well in some of the qualifiers but when it came to the main events, it was not great. The fields were so strong and there was added pressure playing for the team. My best result was something like 12^th in Washington.”

With over 30 wins on the amateur circuit in Indonesia to his name and a top-10 finish in the Mandiri Indonesia Open two years ago on the Asian Tour, Hari certainly has no such problems playing back in Asia.

He may be feeling the effects of over practicing before this week’s big test, but the aches and pains will quickly disappear as he bids to lead an ever-increasing pool of Indonesian talent from amateur stardom to success in the professional game.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.