RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Two junior golfers representing North Sumatra surged to the top of the leaderboard in two separate men's divisions during the opening round of the Faldo Series Indonesia at Bogor’s Gunung Geulis Country Club (West Course) on Friday, February 6, 2026. 

In the Men's U21 category, Kifata Aftar secured the temporary first-place position by carding a score of 74, or three-over par, successfully outperforming Muhammad Naabil Al Manaaf who currently trails in second place with a 77. 

This impressive performance by the North Sumatran duo highlights the province's rising influence in the national junior circuit as they look to maintain their narrow lead heading into the second round of the prestigious international competition.

Meanwhile, Fadhlan Azzam Atmajah leads the Men's U16 division with a score of 72 (1-over par), holding a two-stroke advantage over Yujun Cha.

“Today's game was quite solid; even though there were a few holes where I missed, I could still recover. Only the chipping and putting need to be improved,” Fadhlan said after the match, as quoted by Antara.

In the Women's U21 category, national athlete Sania Talitha Wahyudi topped the temporary standings with a score of 72 despite wet course conditions due to overnight rain. 

“Today the course was soggy and quite distracting. But overall it was still okay; I was able to get two birdies on the last holes,” said Sania, who leads by two strokes over DKI Jakarta's Renoctoviana Ramadhiani Said.

In the Girls U16 division, Elevania Nurfasha from West Java leads with a score of 79, three strokes ahead of North Sumatra’s Freya Julia Davania. The Faldo Series Indonesia, held from February 6–8, features the Faldo Junior Tour category with two age groups, U16 and U21, and is attended by 30 golfers from nine provinces.

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, the committee will hold the second round of the Junior Tour and commence the Faldo Futures category for golfers aged 7-12 years. 

Winners in each age group will earn tickets to the international level, with the first and second-place finishers of the Junior Tour advancing to the Faldo Junior Tour Asia Grand Final at Laguna Lang Co, Vietnam, in April 2026. Meanwhile, the Faldo Futures winner will compete in the Futures Final at The Belfry, England.

Faldo Series Indonesia is an inaugural international tournament organized by Birdie Bandits, a junior golf club founded by Gunung Geulis Country Club in mid-2025. This event marks a significant milestone for the development of young golfing talent in the region. ***