Rory took 2nd place in the Indonesia PGA Championship
Rory shot 68-68-67-72 (13-under) to take sole 2nd place in the Indonesia PGA Championship.
Final Round Opener at the 2011 Indonesia PGA Championship
Rory Hie: 2nd Round Interview at the 2011 Indonesia PGA Championship
Indonesian Hie roars into the lead
From JakartaPost.com:
Indonesia’s Rory Hie carried the weight of the nation’s expectations on his young shoulders when he took the third round lead in the US$1 million Indonesia PGA Championship at Imperial Golf Klub Karawaci outside Jakarta on Saturday.
The former US college star fired a third round five-under-par 67 for a three-round aggregate of a 13-under-par score of 203.
“This has been a really special week. The crowds have been fantastic. I am feeling very calm and focusing on breathing exercises between shots,” the 22-year-old said.
“I have prepared really well for this tournament and it has paid off. I am playing aggressive golf and
plan to do the same tomorrow,” said Rory, whose father Tommy is caddying for him.In what is looking to be a landmark week for golf in Indonesia, a pumped-up Hie nailed seven birdies to charge into the lead.
A double bogey on the 13th saw him fall one shot behind Millar before the Australian finished badly with bogeys on 14 and 18.
The 22-year-old has been helped by the fact that he knows the course very well.
He claimed The International Championship at Imperial in 2008 on the ASEAN PGA Tour just months after turning professional.
He earned a check for $8,126 on that occasion, but first place this week is worth a juicy $180,000.
Victory tomorrow would be the biggest achievement by an Indonesian golfer.
Rory played for the University of Southern California and at one point was ranked the sixth best amateur in the world.
The talented golfer attended college for two years and then opted to leave prematurely because he felt he was ready for the professional game.
Despite winning in 2008, Rory found life as a professional very difficult. He was dogged by injuries, including problems with his right leg and an eye irritation. Such problems, however, are now well in the past.
Kasiadi, a former caddie from Surabaya, triumphed in the 1989 Indonesia Open. The country’s top amateurs have a fine record in the Southeast Asian Amateur Team Championship for the Putra Cup, but nothing would come close to a Hie victory this week.
Andre Stolz from Australia and Korean Park Eun-shin share joint third place, two shots off the lead. They returned rounds of 69 and 66 respectively.
Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, winner of the Indonesia Open in 2005, stormed into contention with a 66 and is four back behind Hie.
China’s Liang Wenchong, winner of last year’s OneAsia Order of Merit, carded a 71 and is five adrift of the top spot.
Rory Surges Into Indonesia PGA Championship 3rd Round Lead
From JakartaGlobe.com:
The country’s dry spell in golf is one round away from being put to an end.
Rory Hie stormed into the lead at the Indonesia PGA Championship on Saturday, shooting a 67 on the strength of seven birdies in another impressive round for the man touted as the future of Indonesian golf
Finishing his third straight day below 70 at the Imperial Golf Club in Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, Rory goes into the final round on Sunday with a 13-under 203 and a chance to win the country’s first major professional golf event in 22 years.
“This has been a really special week. The crowds have been fantastic. I am feeling very calm and focusing on breathing exercises between shots. I have prepared really well for this tournament and it has paid off.” the 22-year-old told the OneAsia Tour Web site.
The last Indonesian to win a high-profile golf tournament was Kasiadi, who clinched the Indonesia Open in 1989, when Rory was barely one year old.
Rory’s familiarity with the Imperial Golf Club, where he won his first event as a professional in 2008, has been a huge factor in his improbable surge in the $1-million tournament that serves as OneAsia’s season opener.
The University of Southern California alumnus promised he wouldn’t let up in the final round.
“I am playing aggressive golf and plan to do the same [on Sunday],” Rory said.
JG
Hie grabs lead in Jakarta
From golf365.com:
Rory Hie has taken a one-shot lead after the third round of the Indonesia PGA Championship thanks to a five-under-par 67.
Hie, from Indonesia, made seven birdies at the Imperial Klub Golf, and made his only slip at the 13th, where he double-bogeyed.
He moved to 13-under-par, one shot clear of second-round leader Matthew Millar.
“The crowds have been fantastic,” said Hie, the local favourite. “I am feeling very calm and focusing on breathing exercises between shots.
“I have prepared really well for this tournament and it has paid off. I am playing aggressive golf and plan to do the same tomorrow.”
Indonesia PGA Championship: HIE HOLDS EDGE IN JAKARTA
From the Press Association:
HIE HOLDS EDGE IN JAKARTA
Local favourite Rory Hie fired a five-under-par 67 to take a one-stroke lead going into the final round of the Indonesia PGA Championship.
Hie carded seven birdies with a double-bogey at the 13th his only blemish at Imperial Klub Golf as he moved to 13 under par, one ahead of overnight leader Matthew Millar.
“This has been a really special week,” said the 22-year-old Indonesian.
“The crowds have been fantastic. I am feeling very calm and focusing on breathing exercises between shots.
“I have prepared really well for this tournament and it has paid off. I am playing aggressive golf and plan to do the same tomorrow,”
From sportal.com.au:
Millar loses lead
27/03/2011 12:11 AMLocal favourite Rory Hie has overhauled Australia’s Matthew Millar to take a one-stroke lead into the final day of the Indonesian Open in Jakarta.
Millar had led the tournament from day one when he posted a course-record nine-under 63.
The 34-year-old Aussie had maintained that lead with a two-under-par round on Friday but eventually lost it when he could only manage a one-under-par 71 in the third, as he gamely battled on despite suffering an illness.
As Millar wobbled, Indonesia’s Hie was firing on all cylinders with an impressive five-under 67 that’s seen him move out to 13-under overall, one stroke ahead of Millar heading into the final round.
Hie probably could have been even further ahead as he blitzed the course with five birdies from his opening six holes on Saturday.
Hie eventually signed off on seven birdies but a double bogey on the 13th saw him remain within Millar’s reach.
The Australian remains two strokes ahead of compatriot Andre Stolz (69) and the Korean Republic’s Eun-Shin Park, who rose up the leaderboard in a big way with the day’s equal-best round, a six-under 66.
Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant also managed a 66 to be in fifth position, just four strokes off the lead at nine-under overall.
Matthew Griffin was the day’s biggest loser, meanwhile. The Australian had been just two strokes off the lead at the tournament’s halfway point after opening rounds of 66 and 69. But a disastrous three-over 75 has seen him slip almost completely out of contention.
Millar Retains Lead, but Rory Is Hot on His Heels
From JakartaGlobe.com:
Millar Retains Lead, but Rory Is Hot on His Heels
When he’s in his comfort zone, there’s rarely a slip from Indonesia’s Rory Hie.
He fired a four-under 68 for a second=straight day to stay in contention at the Indonesia PGA Championship in Tangerang on Friday.
The 23-year-old heads into the weekend rounds with an eight-under 136, just three shots behind tournament leader Matthew Millar of Australia.Teeing off from the 10th hole at the Imperial Golf Club in Lippo Karawaci, Rory had hit four birdies by the turn, matching his good start on Thursday.
After bogeying the par-3 seventh, Rory closed the day with his fifth birdie in a round where he felt everything was “coming together.”
“I’m pretty happy with the way I played,” he said.
“The last couple of months have been pretty good for me. I’m actually feeling very comfortable right now, I feel like I know the course more than anyone out there, and I prepared very well for this event.”
Rory won his first professional title in 2008 on the course and said his familiarity with it had “helped him a lot.”
“I always have good vibes coming here,” he said. “I also finished second here last year in a local event when I shot 12 under and I shot 10 under when I won here.”
He said another factor in his improved play was a change in his attitude.
“When I turned pro I took it too easy. I have had to build my character over the last few years and realize that this is my job and I have to be a professional.
“I didn’t realize that and I have worked and worked on it. It’s coming together now.”
Rory Shoots 68 to Lead Local Charge in Banten
From JakartaGlobe.com:
Rory Hie has been looking for a breakthrough performance that would finally put Indonesia on Asia’s golfing map, and a solid first round in the OneAsiaTour’s season-opener on Thursday might get him on the green.
The 23-year-old carded a four-under 68 in the Indonesia PGA Championship in Tangerang, Banten, to stay in the mix on a day dominated by Australians.
New South Wales native Matthew Millar shot a nine-under 63 to take the lead in a wind-blown round at the Imperial Golf Club in Lippo Karawaci.
Matthew Griffin was three shots back at 66 for second place while two more Australians, Andre Stolz and Chris Campbell, finished at 67. Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata also shot five under.
Rory, who was tied with seven others for sixth place, won his first title as a professional at the Imperial Golf Club in 2008.
He seemed right at home in his return there despite breezy conditions, racking up birdies on four of the first five holes.
“The last couple of days there’s been a lot of wind, and that’s unusual. I played the course last week, and there was no wind at all,” said Rory, who finished with five birdies overall to go with a bogey on the par-3 seventh hole.
“It’s definitely a great start for me. I hit four birdies at the start. I cooled off a bit and finished four under. It’s still very pleasant.
“It’s good that I was able to adapt to the weather. I hope I can keep my form tomorrow, then make the cut and make a move [up the leaderboard] over the weekend,” he added.
Three other Indonesians finished under par in an impressive start by the local golfers in the $1 million tournament.