Sentosa, Singapore, September 16: After registering his maiden Asian Tour victory at the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship and becoming the first Indonesian to do so on Sunday, Rory Hie dedicated his win to late friend and former Tour player Arie Irawan.

The 31-year-old Indonesian had led from start to finish before claiming a two-shot victory over Korea’s Byungjun Kim and Rashid Khan of India, thanks to a closing four-under-par 68 and a 21-under-par 267 winning total at the Classic Golf and Country Club.

Hie, who has played on Tour since 2008, took home a winner’s prize purse of US$54,000 following his triumph in the US$300,000 full-field event, which was also his 85th start on the region’s premier Tour.

Hie’s landmark success came five months after the sudden passing of Arie Irawan, who was one of Malaysia’s and the region’s most promising talents. Arie, a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), had passed away of apparent natural causes in China earlier in April.

“I am sure my late friend Arie Irawan is proud of me right now,” said Hie during his winner’s press conference. “I shared a room with him a couple of times before. We were always working on our swings and always trying to be the best that we can. We always look for every possible way to improve.”

“Unfortunately, he passed away earlier this year at a young age of 28. I still couldn’t believe what happened but I am sure he’s watching me from above and is very proud of me. I want to dedicate this win to Arie Irawan,” Hie added.

Hie notched his first ever top-10 finish on the Asian Tour when he last visited the Classic Golf and Country Club 10 years ago. Little did he expect to win his first Asian Tour title in his return to the same venue last week, with the same local caddy on his bag.

“I actually dreamt about this winning moment years ago. I dreamt about walking down the 18^th hole with a two or three shot lead. I can’t believe it happened. It’s pretty amazing that my caddy still remembers me.

“India’s one of my favourite places to go. I love the food and my roommate was laughing at me because I ordered the same food (chicken tandoori and garlic naan) for five nights in-a-row,” said Hie, who propelled to 37^th place on the Order of Merit following his victory.

Reflecting on his week’s performance, Hie thought: “After that eight-under on the first day, I was on a roll. I was in the zone. I haven’t felt that in the longest time. I was trying to get that same feeling every day. I knew I can’t think about winning but it’s so hard. Now that I’ve won, it’s amazing. It’s a dream come true.”  

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond continues to lead the money list with a current haul of US$761,613 while Australia’s Scott Hend trails by over US$230,000 in second place. Japan’s Yosuke Asaji sits in third with US$285,181.

The Asian Tour returns to Korea this week for the 35th Shinhan Donghae Open, which will be tri-sanctioned for the first time by the Asian Tour, Korean PGA and the Japan Golf Tour. It will be held once again at the Bear’s Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon from September 19 to 22.

Ends.

Photo credit: JGTO

September 16: Japan’s Yosuke Asaji prevailed in a five-way playoff to claim his second victory on the Japan Golf Tour at the ANA Open held at the Sapporo Golf Club’s Wattsu Course on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Asaji overturned a five-shot deficit by closing with a seven-under-par 65 to force extra time with compatriots Terumichi Kakazu and Ryuko Tokimatsu, as well as American Seungsu Han and Shaun Norris of South Africa.

The quintet ended their campaigns two shots ahead of Japan’s Ryo Ishikarawa, China’s Liang Wen-chong and Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand after they returned with matching 16-under-par 272s in regulation play.

It did not take long for Asaji to seal the deal as he was the only player to birdie the first playoff hole, held on the par-four 18^th, after sinking a three-foot putt.

“I couldn’t decide whether it would be an eight-iron or nine-iron actually. I took the eight-iron and darted to within one metre of the pin. The line was just about the same as the par saving putt that I made in regulation play. It was an uphill left to right break,” said the father-to-be.

Asaji, who broke through on the Asian Tour at the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup Golf in May, joined the play-for-pay ranks at the age of 18. His wife is due to give birth to their first child this December.

Over in China, Singapore’s Quincy Quek rode on his superb form to win his first title on the PGA TOUR Series – China at the Haikou Classic. The victory came shortly after he captured his second Asian Development Tour (ADT) win and first in seven years in Malaysia last month.

Quek, who held a six-shot lead heading into the final round, closed with a two-over-par 73 to win by two shots over China’s Bai Zhengkai with a four-day total of 16-under-par 268 at Mission Hills Haikou. He is the first ever Singaporean to win on the PGA TOUR Series – China.

Sharma leads Asian challenge in The Netherlands

September 15: Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Shubhankar Sharma of India emerged as the leading player from Asia after the third round of the KLM Open by signing for a two-under-par 70 on Saturday.

Sharma marked his card with five birdies and two bogeys to trail Spain’s Sergio Garcia and England’s Callum Shinkwin by seven shots in tied-15th with his three day total of eight-under-par 208 at The International.

Malaysia’s Gavin Green, who started the week promisingly by taking second place after the opening round, carded a 72 to take a share of 48th place as he heads into the final round at the European Tour event.

At the ANA Open on the Japan Golf Tour, Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul posted a 66 to remain two shots off the lead in a share of third place with his 204 total.

South Africa’s Shaun Norris slipped to a share of 11th place after signing for a 71 while China’s Liang Wen-chong returned with a 72 for tied-16th place, six shots behind the leaders- Ryuko Tokimatsu of Japan and South Africa’s Peter Karmis.

Liang and Norris stay in the hunt in Japan

September 14: China’s Liang Wen-chong and South Africa’s Shaun Norris stayed in the hunt as they trailed Japanese leader Ryuko Tokimatsu by three shots going into the weekend rounds at the ANA Open on Friday.

Liang, the first mainland Chinese to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2007, posted a five-under-par 67 while Norris, a two-time Asian Tour winner, returned with a 69 to be among the five players bunched in third place.

Zimbabwean Scott Vincent, together with Thailand’s Gunn Charoenkul compiled a two-day total of six-under-par 138 to stay five shots off the pace in a share of 11th place.

At the KLM Open, India’s Shubhankar Sharma put up an improved performance by signing for a 68 to move to a share of 17th place while Malaysia’s Gavin Green slipped to tied-34th place after a 73.

Green takes flight at KLM Open

September 13: Malaysia’s Gavin Green continued his good form in Europe by opening with another strong performance at the KLM Open on Thursday.

The 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner posted a five-under-par 67 to be among of seven players bunched in a share of second place, one shot back of English leader, Callum Shinkwin at The International.

Defending champion Wu Ashun of China was one of 10 players that included Asian Tour winner Kurt Kitayama of the United States who signed for a 69, three shots off the pace.

At the ANA Open in Japan, South Africa’s Shaun Norris signed for a 67 to trail the quartet of Japanese leaders by one while Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent returned with a 69 to share ninth place with Korea’s Y.E. Yang and China’s Liang Wen-chong.

Ends.

Rory Hie (Ina) Second round 68 (-4) Total 132 (-12)
My tee shots were really good today and that was the strongest part of my game. I actually didn’t get off to a good start as my iron shots were kind of dodgy but I was able to bounce back each time I made a bogey and the highlight of my round was really being able to recover each time I made a mistake. It was good to end the round with back-toback birdies. I felt like I was able to play the course very smartly and didn’t allow myself to make too big a mistake today. I’m actually very excited that I’m going into the weekend round with the lead as it’s not very often that I can do that on the Asian Tour. There’s always going to be pressure but you just need to focus on what you need to do instead of thinking about the outcome. So I’m going to do that and I think I did pretty well with that today.

Abhijit Chadha (Ind) Second Round 65 (-7), Total 133 (-11)
I am really happy to be in this position. I am really confident and playing well, so looking forward to my next two rounds. For the next two rounds, I want to go as low as possible. I have won earlier on this course so I’m not intimidated at all. I am very comfortable with every tee shot and it feels almost like a home course for me. I know it a lot and know how the greens are playing, so am quite confident. I putted really well today and put myself in good positions. Wherever I was there, I took the advantage and played well overall. On the 18th, I hit a wayward drive. It hit a tree and came back on the fairway. It was a lucky break and I capitalised on that. That birdie kind of gave me a boost and after that whatever shots I was playing, I was pulling them off. I made a lot of putts today on the front nine.

Aman Raj (Ind) Second Round 67 (-5), Total 134 (-10)
I’m happy with the overall score but ending with a bogey always pinches you especially on a par-five when I had a hybrid in my hand on the fairway. But this is golf and you have to take it and move forward. I made a very good birdie on the 14th hole. I was in the rough, made a good chip and the putt was around 6 feet. On the 16th, I made another birdie from 10 feet. On the 17th, I holed almost a 20-footer for a birdie. All in all, I’m in a good position going into the weekend rounds and I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing and see what happens on Sunday.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) Second round 65 (-7) Total 134 (-10)
It was great to end the round with an eagle. I played well and in fact, I’ve been really consistent this year. I’ve finished strongly in most events and I guess I’ve learnt how to play a patient game and knowing when to take my chances whenever they come around. I guess that mindset is starting to pay off. I just have to continue to focus on my process and not think too much about the result. If I play well, the result will speak for itself. I had several opportunities to play in some Asian Tour and local events as an amateur so I do know what to expect even after turning professional.

Nicholas Latimer (Usa) Second round 64 (-8), Total 135 (-9)
Anytime you shoot a 64 you’re going to end up in a happy place, so I feel pretty good. I actually hit it really well yesterday but didn’t get anything out of my round, so to capitalize on some of those good shots today felt good. The rough is pretty thick so you have to keep it in the fairways. So anytime I’ve gotten in trouble I just try to leave myself an angle at the flag. Whenever you are in a suspect spot the first thing to do it to get it out in play and go attack it from there, because the course can yield some birdies, but only from the fairways so keep it in the short grass. It’s my first trip to India and I’m enjoying it, I’ve got to know a couple guys like Samarth Dwivedi and Aman Raj pretty well just through Qualifying School, and we travel a little bit together. We all went out for a traditional Indian dinner two days ago, so I’ve been getting some good hospitality from those two guys so I’m enjoying my time here.