LA Times – High School sports section
Rory appeared in the sports section of the Los Angeles Times on April 14, 2006:
BOYS’ GOLF
RORY HIE
Sr., Cerritos
Then: Showed himself to be among the best golfers at his school early on, posting a runner-up finish at the Southern Section’s Southern Regional qualifying tournament as a freshman. He ran away with the Suburban League individual title as a sophomore with a nine-under-par 203 over 54 holes, followed by a three-over 75 in the Southern Regional qualifier for the Southern Section championships, where he had a one-under 71 to finish three strokes behind winner Lucas Lee of Torrance. After a runner-up finish in the league championship last season, Hie won the Southern Regional qualifying tournament with a five-under 67 at SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach. He had a postseason stroke average of 69.4 for 18 holes as a junior and earned American Junior Golf Assn. first-team All-American honors in 2004 and 2005.
Now: Hie is making the most of his final year of high school competition before heading to USC on a golf scholarship, improving his nine-hole stroke average from 36.5 last year to 35.1 this season. Ten days ago, he won the individual championship of the Knabe Cup, one of the top high school tournaments in the Southland, for the second time in three seasons by firing a one-under par 71 over 18 holes in overcast, windy conditions at Lakewood Country Club. His efforts helped the Dons (12-1 overall, 8-0 in dual matches) place sixth among 36 teams with a four-player combined score of 315. Earlier this week, Hie placed third in the 2006 Los Angeles City Junior Golf Championships at Wilson and Harding golf courses at Griffith Park.
Quote: “He’s somebody that the other players look to,” Coach Tim Paulson said. “They can see what it means to be a great golfer because they’re playing with one.”
Taken from LA Times.
Athlete of the Week – Long Beach Press Telegram
BOYS GOLF
Rory Hie, Sr., Cerritos
On a day when the weather clipped just about every golfer’s score, he was the only participant to shoot under par in Wednesday’s Knabe Cup at Lakewood Country Club. His 1-under 71 led the 144-player field and earned him his second Knabe individual title in three years.
2006 LA City Jr. Final
Rory shot 68 today at the 2006 LA City Junior Golf Championship. More to come tomorrow.
Knabe Cup 2006
Rory won the Knabe Cup 2006, held on Wednesday April 5, 2006 in Lakewood Country Club, taking home the title for the second time since 2004. He overcame gusty conditions on the course and pulled off a 1-under 71, the only red marks on the scoreboard that day. Quote from the Press Telegram:
“Though there were plenty of new ‘water hazards’ on the course as a result of recent rain, Wednesday’s clear skies indicated that Mother Nature herself was interested in seeing this year’s Knabe Cup.
However, strong winds that helped spike scores and frustrate the boys high school golfers at Lakewood Country Club indicated that maybe Ms. Nature was up to a bit of mischief watching the groups struggle. Either way, when the 36 high schools represented by teams of four apiece were finished, the top teams were all bunched together, and only one golfer, Cerritos senior Rory Hie, shot under par with a 71 on the par-72 course.
‘It was pretty windy out there. I know people think that it’s going to be hard, but then I just keep telling myself, just play your game, just play like there is no wind out there,’ said the USC-bound Hie, who laughingly denied that he had weather-control powers. ‘It’s just tiring. I felt like I want to give up on a hole, and then I just keep telling myself, you’ve got to keep going, you’ve got to keep hitting your shots. ‘When I saw the scoreboard, and it was all (done), I was pretty happy.’
On a decidedly blustery day, Hie’s score bettered the next-best competitors by four strokes. It was the second time in three years Hie won the individual competition at the Knabe Cup, and he finished one stroke off the lead in last year’s tournament.’