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Hie creates history with wire-to-wire victory at the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship


Published on September 15, 2019

Gurgaon, India, September 15: Rory Hie became the first Indonesian to win on the Asian Tour after he carded a flawless four-under-par 68 to win the inaugural Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship by two shots on Sunday.

Hie, who has never lost the lead since the first round, was determined to seal his maiden win and demonstrated that resolve with an opening birdie on the first hole.

Despite playing under intense pressure from the chasing pack, the 31-year-old maintained his composure by marking his card with 11 straight pars before a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th hole confirmed his place in the winner’s circle.

Hie paid an emotional tribute to the late Arie Irwan, who passed away in April as he knew his close friend was watching over him when he signed off with a winning total of 21-under-par 267 at the Classic Golf and Country Club.

Korea’s Byungjun Kim tried to surmount a charge, going even a shot clear of Hie after making his fourth birdie of the day on the par-four 12th.

However, that birdie would be the last he was able to make as he closed out his last six holes with straight pars to finish in a share of second place with India’s Rashid Khan on 269 total.

Rashid Khan

Did you know?

  • Rory Hie is the first Indonesian to win a title on the Asian Tour, and he did so in sterling fashion by winning wire-to-wire.
  • The 31-year-old Hie’s previous best Asian Tour finish came in the 2017 TAKE Solutions Masters in Bangalore where he finished tied-fourth.
  • His best finish in 2019 had been a tied-fifth at the OB Golf Invitational on the Asian Development Tour (ADT). He was poised for a top-10 finish at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open two weeks ago being tied-fourth after 54 holes, but a final round 74 dropped Hie to tied-22nd.
  • After earning First Team All American golf honors at Cerritos High in California, Hie played college golf as a freshman and sophomore at University of Southern California 2006-2008 before turning pro in 2009.
  • Hie was ranked as high as sixth as an amateur before he turned professional.
  • In his four Asian Tour events played in 2019, Byungjun Kim’s best result has been a tied-33rd at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
  • The Korean is currently playing on a Country Exemption spot and has limited access to events on the schedule.
  • The 37-year-old Kim has had eight career top-10 finishes on the Korean PGA Tour (KPGA), including a win at the Daishin Securities KPGA Championship in 2011.
  • This top-five finish will give Kim an exemption into next month’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an event he otherwise would not be able to play.
  • Having lost his card in 2018, this tied-second place finish has secured Rashid Khan’s Asian Tour playing rights for the 2020 season.
  • Rashid Khan won twice on the Asian Tour in 2014, the Chiangmai Golf Classic and the SAIL-SBI Open, on his way to a career best 11th on the Order of Merit with US$243,600 in earnings.
  • Between 2013-2017 Khan never finished lower than 42nd on the Order of Merit and has career earnings of almost US$860,000.

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Rory Hie (Ina) Fourth round 68 (-4) Total 267 (-21)

Oh my god, I’m finally an Asian Tour champion. There is a lot of great players that didn’t, or haven’t won yet and I don’t know what I did to deserve this. I’m just so glad that it happened. And you know I just putted like a champion today, I think that’s what made the difference. Coming down the stretch today I pretty much almost made every putt. Without Lawrie’s (Indonesia’s National Golf coach) help there is no way I can pull this off, there is absolutely no way. I was so nervous coming into today I was just shaking, even on the driving range. But somehow I re-focused and actually after I made the birdie on 15 I knew I had a two shot lead, and I found it really hard to control my emotions at that point. I knew that all I had to do was pretty much par in. And you know I made a really great save on 17 that gave me that two shot cushion, so it was unbelievable. I want to dedicate this win to Arie Irawan who passed away, I felt like we went though all the same struggles as a pro, and you know unfortunately he never made it. I’m sure he’s proud of me right now, we were really good friends.

Byungjun Kim (Kor) Fourth round 67 (-5) Total 269 (-19)

I was playing really well until the 12 hole. I thought I had a good chance for the win and was putting the pressure on Rory. But from the 12th hole, I just could find my putting touch. The birdie putts just wouldn’t drop and when you don’t make birdies at that stage, it’s going to be tough. I put up a good fight but hats off to Rory who fought really hard for his win.

Rashid Khan (Ind) Fourth round 69 (-3) Total 269 (-19)

Today was a little up and down for me. I couldn’t find the fairways in the start at the front-nine and missed a lot of greens. In the back nine, what I thought didn’t work out. Just had 2 birdies and a bogey. I was there in the game when I made that birdie on the 14th and was just one shot back, but a wrong decision on the 16th where I was a little confused on which club to use from the tee and found myself in a really bad position. That was a little disappointing to make a bogey in the last 4 holes when you are just one back. Somewhere on the golf course I think I went against myself. My game is to attack the flag and I went a little safe today. Maybe it was because I was not able to find the fairways and from the rough it is really tough to control the ball. The way I started and I hit the ball today, I don’t think I should have shot under par but I still managed to do that. So I’m happy I played this week. It’s just that I have to practice a little, get confident when I’m hitting a shot and I’ll be fine and the big one will come.


Published on September 14, 2019

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Gurgaon, India, September 14: Indonesia’s Rory Hie gets back to basics and posted a five-under-par 67 to retain control of his lead after the third round of the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship on Saturday.

Hie, who has led the inaugural Asian Tour event since the opening day, returned to the fundamentals of the game and showed his determination of lifting his maiden Asian Tour title by storming home with three birdies in his last four holes to take a one-shot lead over India’s Rashid Khan with his three day total of 17-under-par 199.    

Khan displayed promise of winning his third Asian Tour title as he signed for a 66. The 28-year-old was a picture of consistency as he went bogey-free for 46 holes before dropping his first shot of the week on the par-three 11.

The Indian, however rallied back with another four birdies on holes 12, 15, 16 and 18 to pile the pressure on Hie as he heads into the final 18 holes in second place at the Classic Golf and Country Club.

India’s Abhijit Chadha was a further shot back in third place after he returned with a 68 at a venue which he fondly regards as his winning home ground.

The lanky Indian has won at the Classic Golf and Country Club as a junior and then as an amateur and a third time as a professional on the domestic Tour in 2015.

Korea’s Byungjun Kim, who is playing on a country exemption spot this week, signed for a 67 to take fourth place.

The Korean is eager to surmount a late charge and hopefully make his Asian Tour breakthrough as he has limited playing opportunities on the region’s premier Tour.

Did you know?

  • Rory Hie’s best Asian Tour finish came in the 2017 TAKE Solutions Masters in Bangalore where he finished tied-fourth.
  • Hie’s best finish in 2019 has been a tied-fifth at the OB Golf Invitational on the Asian Development Tour (ADT)
  • After earning First Team All American honors (golf) while at Cerritos High in California in 2004 and 2005, Hie played college golf as a freshman and sophomore at University of Southern California 2006-2008 before turning pro in 2009.
  • Rashid Khan won twice on the Asian Tour in 2014, the Chiangmai Golf Classic and the SAIL-SBI Open, on his way to a career best 11th on the Order of Merit with US$243,600 in earnings.
  • Having lost his card in 2018, Khan is well on his way to regain his playing status. Currently 34th on the Order of Merit with US$50,334 in earnings, his 2019 season has included a third-placed finish at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open, tied-10th at the Hero Indian Open and two wins on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
  • Between 2013-2017 Khan never finished lower than 42nd on the Order of Merit and has career earnings of almost US$860,000.
  • Aphijit Chadha earned his Asian Tour card this season by finishing tied-35th at Qualifying School last December, the second time he has finished inside the top-40 since 2015.
  • His best result in an Asian Tour event came in 2014 when he finished tied-eight in the SAIL-SBI Open at Delhi Golf Club.
  • The 28-year-old from Chandigarh was one of India’s top amateurs in 2010 and 2011, and a member of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
  • Chadha finished a career-high third in the Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) 2015 Ranking, having secured a win at the BILT Open along with three other top-10 finishes, including two top-three results in the season. 
  • In his four Asian Tour events played in 2019, Byungjun Kim’s best result has been a tied-33rd finish at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open.
  • Kim has had eight career top-10 finishes on the Korean PGA Tour (KPGA), including a win at the Daishin Securities KPGA Championship in 2011.

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Rory Hie (Ina) Third round 67 (-5) Total 199 (-17)

This week has been pretty enjoyable for me because I managed to put into practice what I’ve been talking to Lawrie (Indonesia’s Golf National coach) about. I was struggling when I was playing the Indonesia Open last year and then he talked to me about how to play golf again like I did when I was a junior golfer. So I basically treated this tournament like when I was a kid basically (laughing) I just played golf, I didn’t think about my golf swing, everything was pretty positive, I was looking at where I wanted to place the ball. I always had a positive attitude towards every putt, it doesn’t matter if it’s a par putt or birdie putt. Right now I’m just really happy with the kind of golf I have been playing. But it also just shows that I still have the game.

Rashid Khan (Ind) Third Round 66 (-6) Total 200 (-16)

Today’s round was pretty good. I had a slow start, hit the ball well and hit some good putts, but just didn’t roll in. My first birdie was on the 7th and then the 9th and 10th as well. I dropped a shot on the 11th, I was in-between and ended up with a bogey. But a good comeback on the next hole with a two-putt birdie on the 12th. Playing a decent round, hitting the fairways, finding the greens. The scrambling is perfect. You need all of those things to score five-under or six-under.

Today, I just had one bad hole on 11th. Otherwise, I kept hitting on the green giving myself a lot of chances. On the 11th, I just didn’t bring my three-Iron. Last two days also, I didn’t keep a three iron and instead of that out a gap wedge in my bag. I hit a four-Iron and I knew it was going to end up short. Today the conditions were fine, especially the weather. There wasn’t much sun today and I enjoyed it today. I’m not thinking about anything for tomorrow. We’ll see on the last nine holes.

Abhijit Chadha (Ind) Third Round 68 (-4) Total 201 (-15) 

I did well today. I didn’t make too many mistakes today. Just got a little unlucky with a couple of my putts. I had three or four lip-outs which could have easily gone in. I started off really hot. I was three-under after four holes. I was doing the right things and kept hitting the fairways. Later on as well, I was doing the same things and hitting it close but just that the putts weren’t going in. Those putts could have easily gone in and my score would have completely different. I’m playing well and am very positive.    

Byungjun Kim (Kor) Third round 67 (-5) Total 202 (-14)

I hope I can win this tournament as I’ve limited starts on the Asian Tour and a win tomorrow will definitely open many doors for me. The week as been going well for me and I hope I can play a patient game tomorrow and hopefully something good will happen for me.


Published on September 13, 2019

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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.


Published on

Gurgaon, India, September 13: Indonesia’s Rory Hie remains the man to catch as he returned with a four-under-par 68 to hold on to his lead after the second round of the Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship on Friday.

Hie, who held the overnight lead, stumbled early with an opening bogey in his opening back-nine 10. He recovered well by responding with two birdies in his next three holes before reaching the turn in 35.

The Indonesian dropped another shot on the second hole but responded well again with a pair of birdies on three and four and even stormed home with back-to-back birdies on eight and nine to secure his position atop the leaderboard.

India’s Abhijit Chadha meanwhile made the most of his intimate knowledge of the Classic Golf and Country Club- a venue where he has won thrice in the different stages of his golfing career by returning with a 65 to take outright second place, one shot back of Hie.

Thailand’s Kosuke Hamamoto continued to show his good form with another assured performance at the inaugural Asian Tour event, closing with an eagle-three at the last to take a share of third place with the Indian duo of Rashid Khan and Aman Raj with his two-day total of 10-under-par 13.

American Nicholas Latimer fired the lowest round of the day when he returned with a 64, marking his card with eight birdies and making it into the weekend round for only the second time in five starts on the Asian Tour this season.

Latimer is among a group of four players tied for sixth, three shots behind Hie.

The weekend cut was set at one-under where a total of 75 players will progress to the final two rounds.

Aman Raj of India

Did you know?

  • Rory Hie’s best Asian Tour finish came in Bangalore last year where he finished tied-fourth.
  • His best result in 2019 has been a tied-fifth finish at the OB Golf Invitational on the Asian Development Tour (ADT)
  • After earning First Team All American honors (golf) while at Cerritos High in California in 2004 and 2005, Hie played college golf as a freshman and sophomore at University of Southern California 2006-2008 before turning pro in 2009.
  • Aphijit Chadha earned his Asian Tour card this season by finishing tied-35th at Qualifying School last December, the second time he has finished inside the top-40 since 2015.
  • His best result in an Asian Tour event came in 2014 when he finished tied-eight in the SAIL-SBI Open at Delhi Golf Club.
  • The 28-year-old from Chandigarh was one of India’s top amateurs in 2010 and 2011, and a member of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
  • Chadha finished a career-high third in the Professional Golf Tour of India’s (PGTI) 2015 Ranking, having secured a win at the BILT Open along with three other top-10 finishes, including two top-3s, in the season. 
  • He has won on three occasions at the Classic Golf and Country Club. First as a junior, followed by another win as an amateur and then as a professional in 2015.
  • Aman Raj’s best finish in an Asian Tour event to date is a tied-fifth in last year’s Panasonic Open India.
  • His best result in 2019 is a tied-second in the Golconda Masters Championship on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), and he also has two other to-10s this year on that Tour.
  • Formerly ranked as India’s number one amateur in 2015, Raj came through Qualifying School last December by finishing tied-13th after a final round 65.
  • During his amateur days Raj represented India at the Nomura Cup in 2015 and Asian Junior Golf Team Championship in 2012.
  • Kosuke Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is playing in his first year as a professional golfer.
  • Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
  • He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
  • Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. Hamamoto, who started the season with a missed cut in Bangladesh, has since posted a tied-28th, tied-16th, tied-10th before finishing second in Taipei last week.
  • He has also posted six top 10s and 13 top-20s on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) in 2019.
  • American Nicholas Latimer is playing in his first season on the Asian Tour after finishing tied-30th at Q-School last December.
  • In his four Asian Tour starts in 2019, the best result has been a tied-39th at last month’s Sarawak Championship.
  • Latimer played on the Kent State University golf team before graduating in 2009.
  • He also worked as a PGA Club Professional for seven years, before securing financial backing to start playing full time.

Ends.


Published on

Sentosa, Singapore, September 13: The Asian Tour has announced details for its 2020 Qualifying School, which will be held in Thailand in January and February next year.

The Qualifying School comprises of two stages – the First Qualifying Stage and the Final Qualifying Stage. Both stages will be held at the Lake View Resort & Golf Club in Hua Hin.

The First Qualifying Stage will be played over two different weeks. Players have the option of entering the First Qualifying Stage on the week commencing January 8, or the week commencing February 12. The top-placed players from the First Qualifying Stage will progress to the Final Qualifying Stage.

The Final Qualifying Stage will take place from February 19 to 23 and will be played over 5 rounds. The top 70 players (and ties) after 72 holes will play in the pivotal final round, which will be held on February 23. At the conclusion of 90 holes，the top 35 (and ties) will be ranked accordingly for the 2020 season.

First Qualifying Stage Section A

(72 holes scheduled)


January 8-11, 2020
Lakeview Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand (Course C & D)
First Qualifying Stage Section B

(72 holes scheduled)                  





February 12-15, 2020
 
Lakeview Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand (Course A & B)
Lakeview Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand (Course C & D)
                                                                          
Final Qualifying Stage

(90 holes scheduled)



February 19-23, 2020

Lakeview Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand (Course A & B)
Lakeview Resort & Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand (Course C & D)
2020 Q-School Application form – EnglishDownload

For Qualifying School enquiries, please contact [email protected].


Published on September 12, 2019
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