SINGAPORE, Sept 25 - Singapore will step in to stage a new $750,000 World Classic Championship on the Asian Tour in November after organizers of the Indonesia Open asked for their event to be postponed.
The new 144-man tournament will be played at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club from Nov. 12-15, the Asian Tour said on Friday.
The $750,000 Indonesia Open, won last year by triple major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland, was scheduled for the same dates but will now be played sometime in 2016.
"The organisers of the Indonesia Open remain committed to hosting the event on the Asian Tour in the near future and we look forward to working with them for the betterment of the game in Indonesia and around Asia," tournament organisers said in a statement on Friday.
The Indonesia Open, the country's oldest professional golf tournament, was due to celebrate its 35th anniversary this year after returning to the Asian Tour in 2013 following three years on the rival OneAsia circuit.
It joins the Dubai Open, Solaire Open, Philippine Open, King's Cup, Vascory Classic, Chiang Mai Classic and Selangor Masters in falling off the Asian Tour calendar this year.
The circuit, though, has added new events in Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.
It marks the second time in two years the Laguna Club have stepped into stage an Asian Tour event.
Last year they came in at short notice to host The Championship for the circuit following 'staging issues' in its original South Korea location.
Asian Tour CEO Mike Kerr was appreciative of the support of Laguna, owned by Indonesian-born motoring and property entrepreneur Peter Kwee.
"It's fantastic that our players will have another opportunity to return to Singapore to compete at the World Classic Championship at Laguna National," he said in a statement on Friday.
"We are grateful to our partners IMG and the management at Laguna National Golf and Country Club for their commitment and support towards this event."
Last month, the Singapore-based Asian Tour announced they had entered into "an innovative joint vision for the future of professional golf" with the European Tour, thought to be a merger.
Source: REUTERS, by Patrick Johnston. Editing by Sudipto Ganguly
Showing posts with label OneAsia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OneAsia. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Indonesia PGA Championship Returns To BSD
Jakarta, May 5 = The Indonesia PGA Championship will showcase the leading players from OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) when it returns to the award-winning Damai Indah Golf – Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) this year.
The tournament, which was inaugurated with great success in 2011, will be jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the JGTO for the third successive year and form part of an exciting swing on both circuits.
Damai Indah Golf – BSD Course, which boasts the first Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Indonesia, will host the tournament from July 30 to August 2.
Japan’s Michio Matsumura birdied the last three holes to win the Indonesia PGA Championship March last year. The 31-year-old posted rounds of 65, 67, 67 and 68 to finish 21-under-par and claim the US$180,000 first prize.
“This will be the fourth staging of the Indonesia PGA Championship under the OneAsia banner and we have seen it grow in stature during that time,” said Johannes Dermawan, Chairman of the PGA Tour of Indonesia.
“We witnessed a thrilling finish last year involving players from Japan, Australia, the Philippines and China reflecting the cosmopolitan makeup of the field. The Indonesia PGA Championship also affords several local players the opportunity to test themselves against Australasia’s finest and gives fans the chance to see top-quality golf.”
OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sung Y. Chun said that the partnership with the JGTO had borne fruit at the Indonesia PGA Championship.
“The presence of leading players from the JGTO at the Indonesia PGA Championship has taken the tournament to a new level and bred a healthy rivalry with our members,” he said.
“I am confident that the Indonesia PGA Championship will once again play an important role in the OneAsia season.”
Damai Indah Golf, the brainchild of well-known Indonesian real estate developer and business baron, Ir. Ciputra, consists of two international championship courses in completely different and challenging surroundings: BSD Course, located in the West Java satellite city of BSD; and PIK Course, located along the Java Sea in North Jakarta.
Among Jakarta golfers the BSD Course is commonly referred to as BSD. It is situated alongside the impressive Cisadane River that is back-dropped by the up-market housing estates of Bumi Serpong Damai.
Korean Choi Ho-sung drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a two-stroke victory in the Indonesian PGA Championship at Emeralda Golf Club in 2013.
And in 2011, Australian Andre Stolz beat Indonesian number one Rory Hie by one shot at Imperial Klub Golf.
The tournament, which was inaugurated with great success in 2011, will be jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the JGTO for the third successive year and form part of an exciting swing on both circuits.
Damai Indah Golf – BSD Course, which boasts the first Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Indonesia, will host the tournament from July 30 to August 2.
Japan’s Michio Matsumura birdied the last three holes to win the Indonesia PGA Championship March last year. The 31-year-old posted rounds of 65, 67, 67 and 68 to finish 21-under-par and claim the US$180,000 first prize.
“This will be the fourth staging of the Indonesia PGA Championship under the OneAsia banner and we have seen it grow in stature during that time,” said Johannes Dermawan, Chairman of the PGA Tour of Indonesia.
“We witnessed a thrilling finish last year involving players from Japan, Australia, the Philippines and China reflecting the cosmopolitan makeup of the field. The Indonesia PGA Championship also affords several local players the opportunity to test themselves against Australasia’s finest and gives fans the chance to see top-quality golf.”
OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sung Y. Chun said that the partnership with the JGTO had borne fruit at the Indonesia PGA Championship.
“The presence of leading players from the JGTO at the Indonesia PGA Championship has taken the tournament to a new level and bred a healthy rivalry with our members,” he said.
“I am confident that the Indonesia PGA Championship will once again play an important role in the OneAsia season.”
Damai Indah Golf, the brainchild of well-known Indonesian real estate developer and business baron, Ir. Ciputra, consists of two international championship courses in completely different and challenging surroundings: BSD Course, located in the West Java satellite city of BSD; and PIK Course, located along the Java Sea in North Jakarta.
Among Jakarta golfers the BSD Course is commonly referred to as BSD. It is situated alongside the impressive Cisadane River that is back-dropped by the up-market housing estates of Bumi Serpong Damai.
Korean Choi Ho-sung drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a two-stroke victory in the Indonesian PGA Championship at Emeralda Golf Club in 2013.
And in 2011, Australian Andre Stolz beat Indonesian number one Rory Hie by one shot at Imperial Klub Golf.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
OneAsia Set For Lucrative Seventh Season
January 17 - The OneAsia schedule in 2015 will feature at least 10 events boasting overall prize money of nearly US$12 million and a strong line up of tournaments across the Asia-Pacific region.
The multi-million dollar circuit, which is now in its seventh year of excellence, sees two Final Stage Qualifying Schools take place in January and February in the United States and Malaysia respectively, before the first event of the year, the Volvo China Open tees off from April 23 to 26.
China’s national Open is the perfect curtain raiser for the season as it offers prize money of RMB20,000,000 (approx US$3.23 million) and is jointly sanctioned with the European Tour.
Korea’s top three golf tournaments the GS Caltex Maekyung Open (May 14 - 17), the Kolon Korea Open (September 10 - 13), and the SK Telecom Open (date tbc) will once again help form a strong back bone to the schedule.
Mid-way through the year OneAsia will also take a popular swing through Southeast Asia for the Thailand Open (June 11 – 14) and the Indonesia PGA Championship (July 30 – August 2). Both events will be jointly-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).
The Nanshan China Masters (September 24 -27), which since its launch in 2011 is quickly becoming one of the most prestigious events on the mainland, returns to the calendar as does the Fiji International (October 15 - 18), which was inaugurated with great success last year.
As per last year the season will culminate Down Under with the Emirates Australian Open (November 26 - 29) and the Australian PGA Championship, the dates for which will be confirmed later.
The Dongfeng Nissan Cup, a Ryder Cup-style match between China and Asia Pacific, will also help bring the year to an exciting conclusion.
“OneAsia will once again offer a multi-million dollar circuit featuring many of the most prestigious events in our region,” said OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sang Y. Chun.
We are also working hard to add more events to OneAsia for this season and the years ahead. We currently boast a solid schedule that has huge potential to accomplish our mission of creating a Tour that will allow players from Asia-Pacific to go on to become world beaters.”
This year players will attempt to match Kim Seung-hyuk’s majestic 2014 when he claimed the OneAsia Order of Merit title with earnings of US$501,990.
He marched to victory in two events on home soil, the SK Telecom Open in May and the Kolon Korea Open in October.
OneAsia was founded in 2009 by the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia and is the first ever circuit in the region that covers the whole of the Asia-Pacific rim.
2015 OneAsia Schedule:
The multi-million dollar circuit, which is now in its seventh year of excellence, sees two Final Stage Qualifying Schools take place in January and February in the United States and Malaysia respectively, before the first event of the year, the Volvo China Open tees off from April 23 to 26.
China’s national Open is the perfect curtain raiser for the season as it offers prize money of RMB20,000,000 (approx US$3.23 million) and is jointly sanctioned with the European Tour.
Korea’s top three golf tournaments the GS Caltex Maekyung Open (May 14 - 17), the Kolon Korea Open (September 10 - 13), and the SK Telecom Open (date tbc) will once again help form a strong back bone to the schedule.
Mid-way through the year OneAsia will also take a popular swing through Southeast Asia for the Thailand Open (June 11 – 14) and the Indonesia PGA Championship (July 30 – August 2). Both events will be jointly-sanctioned with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).
The Nanshan China Masters (September 24 -27), which since its launch in 2011 is quickly becoming one of the most prestigious events on the mainland, returns to the calendar as does the Fiji International (October 15 - 18), which was inaugurated with great success last year.
As per last year the season will culminate Down Under with the Emirates Australian Open (November 26 - 29) and the Australian PGA Championship, the dates for which will be confirmed later.
The Dongfeng Nissan Cup, a Ryder Cup-style match between China and Asia Pacific, will also help bring the year to an exciting conclusion.
“OneAsia will once again offer a multi-million dollar circuit featuring many of the most prestigious events in our region,” said OneAsia Commissioner and Chairman Sang Y. Chun.
We are also working hard to add more events to OneAsia for this season and the years ahead. We currently boast a solid schedule that has huge potential to accomplish our mission of creating a Tour that will allow players from Asia-Pacific to go on to become world beaters.”
This year players will attempt to match Kim Seung-hyuk’s majestic 2014 when he claimed the OneAsia Order of Merit title with earnings of US$501,990.
He marched to victory in two events on home soil, the SK Telecom Open in May and the Kolon Korea Open in October.
OneAsia was founded in 2009 by the China Golf Association, the Korea Golf Tour, the Korea Golf Association and the PGA of Australia and is the first ever circuit in the region that covers the whole of the Asia-Pacific rim.
2015 OneAsia Schedule:
| Jan 27-30 | Qualifying School California, Final Stage | Industry Hills Golf Club, California |
| Feb 10-13 | Qualifying School Kuala Lumpur, Final Stage | Templer Park CC, Kuala Lumpur |
| Apr 23-26 | Volvo China Open | Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, Shanghai |
| May 14-17 | GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship | Namseoul Country Club |
| Jun 11-14 | Thailand Open | Venue TBA |
| Jul 30-Aug 2 | Indonesia PGA Championship | Venue TBA |
| Sep 10-13 | Kolon Korea Open | Woo Jeong Hills Country Club |
| Sep 24-27 | Nanshan China Masters | Nanshan International GC, Nanshan |
| Oct 15-18 | Fiji International | Natadola Bay GC |
| Nov 26-29 | Emirates Australian Open | The Australian Golf Club, Sydney |
| Date TBC | SK Telecom Open | Venue TBC |
| Date TBC | Dongfeng Nissan Cup | Foisan Golf Club, Guangzhou |
| Date TBC | Australian PGA Championship | Venue TBC |
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Drama For Rory Hie In Final Round Of Australian PGA Championship
December 14, Gold Coast - Greg Chalmers staged a remarkable comeback to win the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Sunday after the longest-ever playoff in the history of the OneAsia tour to claim the Joe Kirkwood Cup and scoop the A$180,000 first prize.
Chalmers capped an astonishing day by defeating defending champion Adam Scott at the seventh extra hole when the world number three bogeyed the 18th after Chalmers had earlier recorded an eight-under-par 64 to earn a place in the playoff alongside Scott and Wade Ormsby.
“It was an epic day, wasn’t it?” said Chalmers, who claimed his second Australian PGA Championship after previously winning in 2011. “I honestly didn’t think there would be a very slim chance I would be sitting here with all of the guys leading the tournament and doing well.
“But I got away to a fast start, holed about a 50 footer, a 60 footer on the second for a birdie and then I did the same again on the next hole and then I holed a 10 footer, I hit a wedge into 10 feet and then made birdie there and suddenly I was three under through four.
“Things just progressed from there and I got a lot of momentum going and I birdied the holes you should birdie, the par fives, and it turns out we’re in the playoff. I thought it was over when Wade Ormsby hit to within five feet but it turns out that just with tenacity and a little bit of luck and here I am.”
Chalmers, who started the day back in 14th place, rolled in his par putt from four feet to win the title after Scott three-putted the hole having earlier had several opportunities to win the tournament himself.
Scott and Chalmers were joined in the playoff by joint-overnight leader Ormsby after all three finished the tournament on 11-under par, but the South Australian was eliminated after the third time down the 18th when his par was not enough to stay alive as both Scott and Chalmers birdied the hole.
All three players recorded pars in their first two playoff holes before Ormsby was eliminated, while Scott missed a birdie putt on the fourth trip to the green that would have won him the title after Chalmers recovered from a poor tee shot to save par and send the pair down the 18th for a fifth time.
Chalmers had earlier fired off the round of the weekend when he recorded an 64 to surge to the top of the leaderboard and put pressure on Scott and Ormsby.
Chalmers embarked on a run of three straight birdies from the second to the fourth holes to reach the turn in 32 strokes, and he maintained that form on the back nine, taking another 32 blows to complete his round and move to the top of the standings.
Within minutes of Chalmers completing his round, Scott joined him on 11-under by continuing his form on the par-fives with a birdie at the 15th, taking his score for the weekend at the longest holes to a remarkable 15-under.
Ormsby maintained a steady challenge throughout the front nine, playing par golf to the ninth hole, where he picked up his first shot of the day to move onto 11-under, only to drop shots at the 11th and 13th to slip back before a birdie at the 15th put him back to within one shot of the lead.
However, Ormsby drained a 30-foot putt at the last to join Scott and Chalmers at the top of the leaderboard and earn a place in the playoff, only for Chalmers to hold his nerve and take the title in dramatic fashion.
Rory Hie was not able to bring glory back home to Indonesia after a dramatic final round ended in deception with a total of 8 bogeys. As a result he dropped back from a ninth place to a tie for 46th.
Final scores of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
277 - Greg CHALMERS (AUS) 71-71-71-64 (winner after play off), Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67-71-71, Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69-69-71
279 - Michael HENDRY (NZL) 70-71-67-71
280 - Scott STALLINGS (USA) 72-70-68-70
281 - Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72-69-74
282 - Matthew GILES (AUS) 73-69-70-70, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66-71-76
283 - John SENDEN (AUS) 73-68-73-69, Cameron SMITH (AUS) 74-68-71-70
Selected:
291 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71-69-80
Chalmers capped an astonishing day by defeating defending champion Adam Scott at the seventh extra hole when the world number three bogeyed the 18th after Chalmers had earlier recorded an eight-under-par 64 to earn a place in the playoff alongside Scott and Wade Ormsby.
“It was an epic day, wasn’t it?” said Chalmers, who claimed his second Australian PGA Championship after previously winning in 2011. “I honestly didn’t think there would be a very slim chance I would be sitting here with all of the guys leading the tournament and doing well.
“But I got away to a fast start, holed about a 50 footer, a 60 footer on the second for a birdie and then I did the same again on the next hole and then I holed a 10 footer, I hit a wedge into 10 feet and then made birdie there and suddenly I was three under through four.
“Things just progressed from there and I got a lot of momentum going and I birdied the holes you should birdie, the par fives, and it turns out we’re in the playoff. I thought it was over when Wade Ormsby hit to within five feet but it turns out that just with tenacity and a little bit of luck and here I am.”
Chalmers, who started the day back in 14th place, rolled in his par putt from four feet to win the title after Scott three-putted the hole having earlier had several opportunities to win the tournament himself.
Scott and Chalmers were joined in the playoff by joint-overnight leader Ormsby after all three finished the tournament on 11-under par, but the South Australian was eliminated after the third time down the 18th when his par was not enough to stay alive as both Scott and Chalmers birdied the hole.
All three players recorded pars in their first two playoff holes before Ormsby was eliminated, while Scott missed a birdie putt on the fourth trip to the green that would have won him the title after Chalmers recovered from a poor tee shot to save par and send the pair down the 18th for a fifth time.
Chalmers had earlier fired off the round of the weekend when he recorded an 64 to surge to the top of the leaderboard and put pressure on Scott and Ormsby.
Chalmers embarked on a run of three straight birdies from the second to the fourth holes to reach the turn in 32 strokes, and he maintained that form on the back nine, taking another 32 blows to complete his round and move to the top of the standings.
Within minutes of Chalmers completing his round, Scott joined him on 11-under by continuing his form on the par-fives with a birdie at the 15th, taking his score for the weekend at the longest holes to a remarkable 15-under.
Ormsby maintained a steady challenge throughout the front nine, playing par golf to the ninth hole, where he picked up his first shot of the day to move onto 11-under, only to drop shots at the 11th and 13th to slip back before a birdie at the 15th put him back to within one shot of the lead.
However, Ormsby drained a 30-foot putt at the last to join Scott and Chalmers at the top of the leaderboard and earn a place in the playoff, only for Chalmers to hold his nerve and take the title in dramatic fashion.
Rory Hie was not able to bring glory back home to Indonesia after a dramatic final round ended in deception with a total of 8 bogeys. As a result he dropped back from a ninth place to a tie for 46th.
Final scores of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
277 - Greg CHALMERS (AUS) 71-71-71-64 (winner after play off), Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67-71-71, Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69-69-71
279 - Michael HENDRY (NZL) 70-71-67-71
280 - Scott STALLINGS (USA) 72-70-68-70
281 - Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72-69-74
282 - Matthew GILES (AUS) 73-69-70-70, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66-71-76
283 - John SENDEN (AUS) 73-68-73-69, Cameron SMITH (AUS) 74-68-71-70
Selected:
291 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71-69-80
Rory Hie Storms Into Top Ten At Australian PGA Championship
December 13, Gold Coast - Defending champion Adam Scott, former OneAsia Order of Merit winner Scott Strange and joint-overnight leader Wade Ormsby share a one-shot lead over the rest of the field going into the final day’s play at the Australian PGA Championship after a blustery Saturday at RACV Royal Pines Resort.
Scott hit a second successive round of 69 in the OneAsia event to join Ormsby and Strange – who both completed the third round in 71 strokes – on 10-under par, one shot clear of Jason Scrivener and Boo Weekley.
The world number three birdied all four par-fives on the course as he maintained a consistency that has seen him hit scores under 70 on each of the three rounds while Ormsby sunk a 20-metre putt on the final hole to remain alongside his playing partners at the top of the leaderboard.
“It was good today to make up a couple of shots and at least get in a share of the lead and stay in the final group for tomorrow,” said Scott. “But it’s a really bunched leaderboard and whoever has a good round tomorrow is going to be able to do it.
“It’s a good course to post a number on and the guys behind will certainly have that opportunity. But if I keep playing solid and give myself some chances, hopefully I’ll make a couple more.
“For me, tomorrow I need to go out and get off to a good start. That’s the best thing I can do for so many reasons, to give myself an advantage whether it’s from a crowd cheering perspective and just the rhythm of the tournament perspective.
“Apart from me, you’ve got Boo one back and any of these guys can get off to a good start and there’s no reason why not. They’re all sitting right there and the soft conditions are rewarding good shots, so it’s really important for me to start well tomorrow.”
New Zealand’s Michael Hendry hit the best round of the day when he claimed a 67 to move up to fifth in the standings, just two shots behind the leading trio.
Hendry, winner of the Indonesian Open in 2010 on OneAsia, had a bogey-free round to pull himself into contention for his first title since claiming the Starwood Classic in Fiji in June last year.
“It was pretty tough out there today, especially those last five or six holes where you come back,” he said. “Every shot seems to be off the left or right and that’s where I started to find it tough.
“I made a solid enough start and I managed to make a few birdies through the middle at the easier holes today.
“It’s a nice to be in a position to have a chance. It’s been six or seven months since I’ve been at the very top end of a tournament so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and hopefully I can play well again tomorrow.”
Indonesia's Rory Hie made a big leap forward with a bogey-free round of 3-under 69. With a total of 5-under he now is in the top ten, and goes into the final round 5 shots from the top of the leaderboard.
Scores after the third round of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
206 - Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69-69, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66-71, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67-71
207 - Jason SCRIVENER (AUS) 73-66-68, Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72-69
208 - Michael HENDRY (NZL) 70-71-67
210 - Scott STALLINGS (USA) 72-70-68, David SMAIL (NZL) 68-71-71
211 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71-69, David BRANSDON (AUS) 73-70-68, Jarrod LYLE (AUS) 69-72-70
Scott hit a second successive round of 69 in the OneAsia event to join Ormsby and Strange – who both completed the third round in 71 strokes – on 10-under par, one shot clear of Jason Scrivener and Boo Weekley.
The world number three birdied all four par-fives on the course as he maintained a consistency that has seen him hit scores under 70 on each of the three rounds while Ormsby sunk a 20-metre putt on the final hole to remain alongside his playing partners at the top of the leaderboard.
“It was good today to make up a couple of shots and at least get in a share of the lead and stay in the final group for tomorrow,” said Scott. “But it’s a really bunched leaderboard and whoever has a good round tomorrow is going to be able to do it.
“It’s a good course to post a number on and the guys behind will certainly have that opportunity. But if I keep playing solid and give myself some chances, hopefully I’ll make a couple more.
“For me, tomorrow I need to go out and get off to a good start. That’s the best thing I can do for so many reasons, to give myself an advantage whether it’s from a crowd cheering perspective and just the rhythm of the tournament perspective.
“Apart from me, you’ve got Boo one back and any of these guys can get off to a good start and there’s no reason why not. They’re all sitting right there and the soft conditions are rewarding good shots, so it’s really important for me to start well tomorrow.”
New Zealand’s Michael Hendry hit the best round of the day when he claimed a 67 to move up to fifth in the standings, just two shots behind the leading trio.
Hendry, winner of the Indonesian Open in 2010 on OneAsia, had a bogey-free round to pull himself into contention for his first title since claiming the Starwood Classic in Fiji in June last year.
“It was pretty tough out there today, especially those last five or six holes where you come back,” he said. “Every shot seems to be off the left or right and that’s where I started to find it tough.
“I made a solid enough start and I managed to make a few birdies through the middle at the easier holes today.
“It’s a nice to be in a position to have a chance. It’s been six or seven months since I’ve been at the very top end of a tournament so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and hopefully I can play well again tomorrow.”
Indonesia's Rory Hie made a big leap forward with a bogey-free round of 3-under 69. With a total of 5-under he now is in the top ten, and goes into the final round 5 shots from the top of the leaderboard.
Scores after the third round of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
206 - Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69-69, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66-71, Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67-71
207 - Jason SCRIVENER (AUS) 73-66-68, Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72-69
208 - Michael HENDRY (NZL) 70-71-67
210 - Scott STALLINGS (USA) 72-70-68, David SMAIL (NZL) 68-71-71
211 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71-69, David BRANSDON (AUS) 73-70-68, Jarrod LYLE (AUS) 69-72-70
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Solid Rounds From Rory Hie At Australian PGA Championship
December 12, Gold Coast - Scott Strange hit a second round 66 to join Wade Ormsby on nine-under par at the top of the leaderboard of the Australian PGA Championship on Friday at the RACV Royal Pines Resort, with defending champion Adam Scott two shots further back going into the weekend.
Former OneAsia Order of Merit winner Strange claimed a birdie at his final hole – the ninth – to complete a bogey-free round and draw level with Ormsby after 36 holes.
Ormsby carded a five-under par 67 while 2013 Masters champion Scott was three-under for the day and sits in third, one clear of overnight leader Boo Weekley, who carded a 72 to remain on six-under.
The tournament is the season-ending event on OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“I played nice today,” said Strange, who has recorded just one bogey in his opening two rounds.
“I think we got the right side of the draw with the storms and that rolling in yesterday and this morning with the rain. So I took advantage of it and played nice today.”
Ormsby started off by bogeying his first hole of the day – the par-four 10th – before chipping in from the edge of the green at the 12th on a run that saw him pick up six shots over six holes and move to nine-under after a four-under par opening round.
“I made a weak bogey at 10, then I chipped in on 12 and made an eagle there and that really got me going and made four in row around the back nine and I got pretty hot,” said Ormsby, who finished tied for fourth at the Turkish Open last month. “The wind was a bit tricky out there.
“I started the year well, and then went a bit flat in the middle of the year. I was making a lot of cuts but not really doing much with it, so I really wanted to finish the year on a high and I did that in Turkey, and the week before and the week after.
“When I came back for the Australian Open, I was a little bit flat from all the travelling. I thought I could get the job done but I just wasn’t feeling good. I was pretty disappointing there, but I wanted to finish this week on a high, so I did some practicing over the last week and so far, so good.”
Almost half the field turned out in the early hours of the morning to complete their opening round on Friday after inclement weather forced an early finish on Thursday and Jeong Jin finished as the first round leader.
The Korean golfer was four-under par after 12 holes when he resumed, going on to finish on seven-under after a round of 65 to lead by one over Weekley.
Jeong continued his strong form at the first hole of his second round with a birdie to move to eight-under before dropping shots at the 12th and 13th holes while bogeys at the first, second and sixth threatened to derail a round that was salvaged by a birdie-birdie finish that left him on five-under par and in a tie for fifth.
“I had a good start on 10, made a good birdie out of the rough and then some really heavy rain came through on the 11th hole,” said Jeong.
“There were really tough conditions and I started hitting a little bit off the line and made some silly mistakes and a few bogeys. I didn’t putt badly, but they weren’t going in, but I finished birdie-birdie so it wasn’t bad at all and I put myself in a good position. I don’t think it’s bad at all.”
Rory Hie from Indonesia completed the second round in the same fashion as the first round with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. Currently he is in a tie for 24th at 2-under par.
Leading scores after second round of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
135 - Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66
137 - Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69
138 - Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72
139 - Nick CULLEN (AUS) 68-71, JEONG Jin (KOR) 65-74, Kristopher MUECK (AUS) 71-68, David SMAIL (NZL) 68-71, Jason SCRIVENER (AUS) 73-66, Craig HANCOCK (AUS) 68-71
Selected:
142 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71
Former OneAsia Order of Merit winner Strange claimed a birdie at his final hole – the ninth – to complete a bogey-free round and draw level with Ormsby after 36 holes.
Ormsby carded a five-under par 67 while 2013 Masters champion Scott was three-under for the day and sits in third, one clear of overnight leader Boo Weekley, who carded a 72 to remain on six-under.
The tournament is the season-ending event on OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
“I played nice today,” said Strange, who has recorded just one bogey in his opening two rounds.
“I think we got the right side of the draw with the storms and that rolling in yesterday and this morning with the rain. So I took advantage of it and played nice today.”
Ormsby started off by bogeying his first hole of the day – the par-four 10th – before chipping in from the edge of the green at the 12th on a run that saw him pick up six shots over six holes and move to nine-under after a four-under par opening round.
“I made a weak bogey at 10, then I chipped in on 12 and made an eagle there and that really got me going and made four in row around the back nine and I got pretty hot,” said Ormsby, who finished tied for fourth at the Turkish Open last month. “The wind was a bit tricky out there.
“I started the year well, and then went a bit flat in the middle of the year. I was making a lot of cuts but not really doing much with it, so I really wanted to finish the year on a high and I did that in Turkey, and the week before and the week after.
“When I came back for the Australian Open, I was a little bit flat from all the travelling. I thought I could get the job done but I just wasn’t feeling good. I was pretty disappointing there, but I wanted to finish this week on a high, so I did some practicing over the last week and so far, so good.”
Almost half the field turned out in the early hours of the morning to complete their opening round on Friday after inclement weather forced an early finish on Thursday and Jeong Jin finished as the first round leader.
The Korean golfer was four-under par after 12 holes when he resumed, going on to finish on seven-under after a round of 65 to lead by one over Weekley.
Jeong continued his strong form at the first hole of his second round with a birdie to move to eight-under before dropping shots at the 12th and 13th holes while bogeys at the first, second and sixth threatened to derail a round that was salvaged by a birdie-birdie finish that left him on five-under par and in a tie for fifth.
“I had a good start on 10, made a good birdie out of the rough and then some really heavy rain came through on the 11th hole,” said Jeong.
“There were really tough conditions and I started hitting a little bit off the line and made some silly mistakes and a few bogeys. I didn’t putt badly, but they weren’t going in, but I finished birdie-birdie so it wasn’t bad at all and I put myself in a good position. I don’t think it’s bad at all.”
Rory Hie from Indonesia completed the second round in the same fashion as the first round with 3 birdies and 2 bogeys. Currently he is in a tie for 24th at 2-under par.
Leading scores after second round of the Australian PGA Championship (Par 72):
135 - Wade ORMSBY (AUS) 68-67, Scott STRANGE (AUS) 69-66
137 - Adam SCOTT (AUS) 68-69
138 - Boo WEEKLEY (USA) 66-72
139 - Nick CULLEN (AUS) 68-71, JEONG Jin (KOR) 65-74, Kristopher MUECK (AUS) 71-68, David SMAIL (NZL) 68-71, Jason SCRIVENER (AUS) 73-66, Craig HANCOCK (AUS) 68-71
Selected:
142 - Rory HIE (INA) 71-71
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Asia-Pacific Dominate Final Day To Win Dongfeng Nissan Cup
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec 7 – Asia Pacific produced a dominant display in Sunday’s singles to win OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup for a third time in four years after completing a record 15-9 victory over defending champions China at a damp Foison Golf Club.
Peter Thomson’s Asia Pacific won eight of the 12 matches on the final day of the Ryder Cup-style matchplay event, with Australian duo Ryan Fox and Scott Laycock, Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, Japanese pair Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda, Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae, Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines and Malaysia’s Khor Kheng Hwai all claiming victories.
China had led 4-2 after Friday’s opening fourballs, but after claiming just one win during Saturday’s foursomes to slip a point behind after two rounds, only Liang Wenchong, Hu Mu and 19-year-old Nanshan China Masters winner Li Haotong prevailed on Sunday, with the contest between New Zealand’s Mark Brown and Wu Ashun halved as Asia Pacific won the final day singles 8.1/2 - 3.1/2 en route to overall victory.
“We promised to be modest in victory and humble in defeat so you can see which one we have picked now. We played some good golf in some pretty funny conditions today and it was a good effort,” said Asia Pacific captain Thomson, who was also in charge for the successes in 2011 and 2012 as well as last year’s defeat.
“The players reacted after my plea for them to get serious and play hard after the first round. The second and third days were a surprise to us to outscore the China team, and it was beyond our wildest dreams we would win by such a margin.”
With Asia Pacific in possession of a one point lead having won four of Saturday’s foursomes, Thomson’s side started the final day well with Rhein Gibson, Rory Hie and Fox establishing early leads.
And with all 12 groups out on a damp course, Asia Pacific led in eight of matches, highlighted by Thaworn holding a commanding five hole advantage over Yan Bin through seven, with Thomson’s side only needing to claim six points to ensure the title.
That was soon extended to advantages in the final 10 matches with Thaworn five up on Yan and Laycock, Kim and Lascuna holding four holes advantages, although with Hu all square with Hie, Liang charged into a four hole lead over Gibson with seven to play.
Gibson held on until the 15th, but the Australian was unable to stop Liang completing a 4&3 win as China claimed the first point of the day to level the overall contest.
But Asia Pacific were soon back in front as Thaworn secured a 6&5 win over Yan having never trailed in the contest, losing just one hole in the process.
And Thomson’s side extended their advantage as Fox converted from four feet on the 17th green to complete a 2&1 win over Su Dong, who holed the winning putt last year as China claimed a first win following a 12.1/2 - 11.1/2 victory.
China, though, kept themselves within touching distance as Hie failed to hole a long putt on the 18th as Hu claimed a 1up victory, although Asia Pacific held leads of over at least three holes in six of the eight remaining matches.
And vice-captain Laycock was next to claim victory with a 4&2 win over Huang Wenyi, before Maruyama soon followed suit by defeating Yuan Tian 4&3 to claim a third point of the week as Asia Pacific moved into a 10.1/2 - 7.1/2 lead with Thomson’s side also ahead in four of the remaining six contests.
The fifth group of the day was the second to make it all the way to the 18th green, but Wu and Brown could not be separated and the pair were forced to settle for a half following an up-and-down contest.
But Asia Pacific’s victory was soon confirmed as Masuda edged out Yang Guangming 2&1 to also maintain his perfect record for the week, with China crucially unable to win two of the remaining four matches.
Lascuna’s 5&4 win over Zhang Lianwei and Kim’s 4&3 win over 16-year-old amateur Jin Cheng quickly followed to extend the advantage with two matches remaining.
Khor’s 4&3 win over 18-year-old Chen Zihao handed Asia Pacific an eighth and final win of the day, and despite Li beating Australia’s Lee Jun-seok 3&2, China were forced to settle for a record defeat in the tournament after Asia Pacific surpassed their 14.1/2 - 9.1/2 win in 2012 having won the maiden event 12.1/2 - 11.1/2 a year earlier.
“We lost, but it’s a good experience for our young players. Today was good and some of the China players who have a lot of experience still played well under pressure. Some of the younger players lost, but they are playing for the first time,” said China vice-captain Wang Jun.
“This format is very good for the young Chinese players who can get a lot of experience through this tournament. It’s good for the young Chinese players and good for Chinese golf fans to see what progress China has made.
“Asia Pacific had very strong players. All of them have played professional tournaments for many years, so they are very competitive and have a lot of experience.”
Results from Sunday’s singles between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup (China names first):
Liang Wenchong beat Rhein Gibson (AUS) 4&3
Hu Mu beat Rory Hie (INA) 1up
Su Dong lost to Ryan Fox (NZL) 2&1
Yan Bin lost to Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 6&5
Wu Ashun halved with Mark Brown (NZL)
Huang Wenyi lost to Scott Laycock (AUS) 4&2
Yang Guangming lost to Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 2&1
Yuan Tian lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 4&3
Jin g lost to Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) 4&3
Zhang Lianwei lost to Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 5&4
Li Haotong beat Lee Jun-seok (AUS) 3&2
Chen Zihao lost to Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS) 4&3
Peter Thomson’s Asia Pacific won eight of the 12 matches on the final day of the Ryder Cup-style matchplay event, with Australian duo Ryan Fox and Scott Laycock, Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, Japanese pair Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda, Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae, Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines and Malaysia’s Khor Kheng Hwai all claiming victories.
China had led 4-2 after Friday’s opening fourballs, but after claiming just one win during Saturday’s foursomes to slip a point behind after two rounds, only Liang Wenchong, Hu Mu and 19-year-old Nanshan China Masters winner Li Haotong prevailed on Sunday, with the contest between New Zealand’s Mark Brown and Wu Ashun halved as Asia Pacific won the final day singles 8.1/2 - 3.1/2 en route to overall victory.
“We promised to be modest in victory and humble in defeat so you can see which one we have picked now. We played some good golf in some pretty funny conditions today and it was a good effort,” said Asia Pacific captain Thomson, who was also in charge for the successes in 2011 and 2012 as well as last year’s defeat.
“The players reacted after my plea for them to get serious and play hard after the first round. The second and third days were a surprise to us to outscore the China team, and it was beyond our wildest dreams we would win by such a margin.”
With Asia Pacific in possession of a one point lead having won four of Saturday’s foursomes, Thomson’s side started the final day well with Rhein Gibson, Rory Hie and Fox establishing early leads.
And with all 12 groups out on a damp course, Asia Pacific led in eight of matches, highlighted by Thaworn holding a commanding five hole advantage over Yan Bin through seven, with Thomson’s side only needing to claim six points to ensure the title.
That was soon extended to advantages in the final 10 matches with Thaworn five up on Yan and Laycock, Kim and Lascuna holding four holes advantages, although with Hu all square with Hie, Liang charged into a four hole lead over Gibson with seven to play.
Gibson held on until the 15th, but the Australian was unable to stop Liang completing a 4&3 win as China claimed the first point of the day to level the overall contest.
But Asia Pacific were soon back in front as Thaworn secured a 6&5 win over Yan having never trailed in the contest, losing just one hole in the process.
And Thomson’s side extended their advantage as Fox converted from four feet on the 17th green to complete a 2&1 win over Su Dong, who holed the winning putt last year as China claimed a first win following a 12.1/2 - 11.1/2 victory.
China, though, kept themselves within touching distance as Hie failed to hole a long putt on the 18th as Hu claimed a 1up victory, although Asia Pacific held leads of over at least three holes in six of the eight remaining matches.
And vice-captain Laycock was next to claim victory with a 4&2 win over Huang Wenyi, before Maruyama soon followed suit by defeating Yuan Tian 4&3 to claim a third point of the week as Asia Pacific moved into a 10.1/2 - 7.1/2 lead with Thomson’s side also ahead in four of the remaining six contests.
The fifth group of the day was the second to make it all the way to the 18th green, but Wu and Brown could not be separated and the pair were forced to settle for a half following an up-and-down contest.
But Asia Pacific’s victory was soon confirmed as Masuda edged out Yang Guangming 2&1 to also maintain his perfect record for the week, with China crucially unable to win two of the remaining four matches.
Lascuna’s 5&4 win over Zhang Lianwei and Kim’s 4&3 win over 16-year-old amateur Jin Cheng quickly followed to extend the advantage with two matches remaining.
Khor’s 4&3 win over 18-year-old Chen Zihao handed Asia Pacific an eighth and final win of the day, and despite Li beating Australia’s Lee Jun-seok 3&2, China were forced to settle for a record defeat in the tournament after Asia Pacific surpassed their 14.1/2 - 9.1/2 win in 2012 having won the maiden event 12.1/2 - 11.1/2 a year earlier.
“We lost, but it’s a good experience for our young players. Today was good and some of the China players who have a lot of experience still played well under pressure. Some of the younger players lost, but they are playing for the first time,” said China vice-captain Wang Jun.
“This format is very good for the young Chinese players who can get a lot of experience through this tournament. It’s good for the young Chinese players and good for Chinese golf fans to see what progress China has made.
“Asia Pacific had very strong players. All of them have played professional tournaments for many years, so they are very competitive and have a lot of experience.”
Results from Sunday’s singles between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup (China names first):
Liang Wenchong beat Rhein Gibson (AUS) 4&3
Hu Mu beat Rory Hie (INA) 1up
Su Dong lost to Ryan Fox (NZL) 2&1
Yan Bin lost to Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 6&5
Wu Ashun halved with Mark Brown (NZL)
Huang Wenyi lost to Scott Laycock (AUS) 4&2
Yang Guangming lost to Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 2&1
Yuan Tian lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 4&3
Jin g lost to Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) 4&3
Zhang Lianwei lost to Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 5&4
Li Haotong beat Lee Jun-seok (AUS) 3&2
Chen Zihao lost to Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS) 4&3
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Asia-Pacific Bounce Back To Lead China In Dongfeng Nissan Cup
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec 6 – Asia Pacific will take a one point lead over defending champions China into Sunday’s decisive singles at OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup after Peter Thomson’s two-time winners won four of Saturday’s alternate shot foursomes at Foison Golf Club.
New Zealand duo Ryan Fox and Mark Brown claimed a 4&2 win over Yan Bin and Yang Guangming, while Australian pair Scott Laycock and Rhein Gibson beat Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong 3&2 on the 6,997 yard Haworth Golf Course layout.
And with Japanese team Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda claiming a 2&1 win over Li Haotong and Hu Mu, and Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae and Australia’s Lee Jun-seok edging out Wu Ashun and Su Dong 1up, Asia Pacific erased a 4-2 deficit from Friday’s opening fourballs.
“I feel a lot better than yesterday. We played really solid all day and managed to not hit each other into trouble, which is probably the most important part in foursomes. We got up early and didn’t give the other guys too much of a chance coming home, which is always nice,” said Fox, who finished seventh at last week’s Emirates Australian Open, having lost 1up to Wu and Su on Friday alongside Brown.
“We both hit it quite well today and started to roll some pretty good putts without anything going in, so hopefully we can keep it going for tomorrow.”
China had started the second day of the Ryder Cup-style matchplay event well, but the defending champions claimed just one win during the alternate shot format as Huang Wenyi and Yuan Tian edged out Indonesia’s Rory Hie and Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines 1up, while the match between Chen Zihao and Jin Cheng and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Khor Kheng Hwai of Malaysia ended all square.
“I asked the team for some more effort as this is a serious tournament and they responded,” said Asia Pacific captain and five-time Open champion Thomson, who is seeking third Dongfeng Nissan Cup victory.
Holding a two point advantage from Friday’s opening fourballs, China continued their form from the previous day as Huang and Yuan claimed the opening hole against fellow first day winners Hie and Lascuna.
Hie and Lascuna quickly responded at the next hole, although Wu and Su soon quickly raced into a two hole lead over Kim and Lee in the day’s second group.
China extended their lead with advantages in the first three groups, although Asia Pacific responded to claim lead in the final three groups on the course.
Defending champions China did briefly move into a claim of the lead in four of the groups, with Wu and Su holding a four hole lead over Kim and Lee through eight.
But Asia Pacific soon took control of the day to lead in four matches with all the groups either at or either side of the turn, highlighted by Fox and Brown building a four hole advantage over Yan and Yang through nine.
The blue of Asia Pacific continued to dominate the leaderboard, and with the day’s first group heading to the 18th green level, Thomson’s side led in five matches.
And Asia Pacific eventually claimed the first point of the day on the 16th fairway as Fox and Brown completed a 4&2 win over Yan and Yang as the China pair conceded the hole after finding trouble off the fairway, with their opponents safely on the green of the 616 yard par five in three.
But China quickly responded as Huang holed a dramatic putt from six feet on the final green to claim a hard-fought 1up victory over Hie and Lascuna having levelled the evenly-matched contest with five to play.
Asia Pacific, though, still led in the remaining four matches and soon added a second point of the day as Maruyama’s putt on the 17th completed a 2&1 victory over Li and Hu despite having lost the first three holes.
And Asia Pacific levelled the overall tie as vice-captain Laycock and compatriot Gibson secured a 3&2 win over Zhang and Liang despite having let slip a two hole lead through seven.
That lead was extended as a fourth point of the day arrived on the final green as Kim held his nerve to convert from three feet to seal 1up victory over Wu and Su.
A third match of the day also went all the way to the final green and Jin had a chance to level the contest heading into Sunday, but the teenage amateur missed from eight feet allowing Thaworn and Khor to claim a half despite having been two up with five holes remaining.
‘It was a very exciting round today. We played well and finally won on the last hole. We played each shot at a time and we believed we could win today,” said Huang after also beating Kim and Lee 2&1 in Friday’s fourballs alongside Yuan.
“I co-operated with Yuan Tian. We trust each other and we encouraged each other. We also enjoyed today and that’s important.”
Results from Saturday’s foursomes between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup (China names first):
Huang Wenyi & Yuan Tian beat Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 1up
Wu Ashun & Su Dong lost to Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (AUS) 1up
Li Haotong & Hu Mu lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 2&1
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng halved with Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS)
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming lost to Ryan Fox (NZL) & Mark Brown (NZL) 4&2
Zhang Lianwei & Liang Wenchong lost to Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS) 3&2
Draw for Sunday’s singles between China and Asia Pacific (China names first):
Liang Wenchong v Rhein Gibson (AUS)
Hu Mu v Rory Hie (INA)
Su Dong v Ryan Fox (NZL)
Yan Bin v Thaworn Wiratchant (THA)
Wu Ashun v Mark Brown (NZL)
Huang Wenyi v Scott Laycock (AUS)
Yang Guangming v Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN)
Yuan Tian v Daisuke Maruyama (JPN)
Jin Cheng v Kim Hyung-tae (KOR)
Zhang Lianwei v Antonio Lascuna (PHI) Li Haotong v Lee Jun-seok (AUS) Chen Zihao v Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS)
New Zealand duo Ryan Fox and Mark Brown claimed a 4&2 win over Yan Bin and Yang Guangming, while Australian pair Scott Laycock and Rhein Gibson beat Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wenchong 3&2 on the 6,997 yard Haworth Golf Course layout.
And with Japanese team Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda claiming a 2&1 win over Li Haotong and Hu Mu, and Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae and Australia’s Lee Jun-seok edging out Wu Ashun and Su Dong 1up, Asia Pacific erased a 4-2 deficit from Friday’s opening fourballs.
“I feel a lot better than yesterday. We played really solid all day and managed to not hit each other into trouble, which is probably the most important part in foursomes. We got up early and didn’t give the other guys too much of a chance coming home, which is always nice,” said Fox, who finished seventh at last week’s Emirates Australian Open, having lost 1up to Wu and Su on Friday alongside Brown.
“We both hit it quite well today and started to roll some pretty good putts without anything going in, so hopefully we can keep it going for tomorrow.”
China had started the second day of the Ryder Cup-style matchplay event well, but the defending champions claimed just one win during the alternate shot format as Huang Wenyi and Yuan Tian edged out Indonesia’s Rory Hie and Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines 1up, while the match between Chen Zihao and Jin Cheng and Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Khor Kheng Hwai of Malaysia ended all square.
“I asked the team for some more effort as this is a serious tournament and they responded,” said Asia Pacific captain and five-time Open champion Thomson, who is seeking third Dongfeng Nissan Cup victory.
Holding a two point advantage from Friday’s opening fourballs, China continued their form from the previous day as Huang and Yuan claimed the opening hole against fellow first day winners Hie and Lascuna.
Hie and Lascuna quickly responded at the next hole, although Wu and Su soon quickly raced into a two hole lead over Kim and Lee in the day’s second group.
China extended their lead with advantages in the first three groups, although Asia Pacific responded to claim lead in the final three groups on the course.
Defending champions China did briefly move into a claim of the lead in four of the groups, with Wu and Su holding a four hole lead over Kim and Lee through eight.
But Asia Pacific soon took control of the day to lead in four matches with all the groups either at or either side of the turn, highlighted by Fox and Brown building a four hole advantage over Yan and Yang through nine.
The blue of Asia Pacific continued to dominate the leaderboard, and with the day’s first group heading to the 18th green level, Thomson’s side led in five matches.
And Asia Pacific eventually claimed the first point of the day on the 16th fairway as Fox and Brown completed a 4&2 win over Yan and Yang as the China pair conceded the hole after finding trouble off the fairway, with their opponents safely on the green of the 616 yard par five in three.
But China quickly responded as Huang holed a dramatic putt from six feet on the final green to claim a hard-fought 1up victory over Hie and Lascuna having levelled the evenly-matched contest with five to play.
Asia Pacific, though, still led in the remaining four matches and soon added a second point of the day as Maruyama’s putt on the 17th completed a 2&1 victory over Li and Hu despite having lost the first three holes.
And Asia Pacific levelled the overall tie as vice-captain Laycock and compatriot Gibson secured a 3&2 win over Zhang and Liang despite having let slip a two hole lead through seven.
That lead was extended as a fourth point of the day arrived on the final green as Kim held his nerve to convert from three feet to seal 1up victory over Wu and Su.
A third match of the day also went all the way to the final green and Jin had a chance to level the contest heading into Sunday, but the teenage amateur missed from eight feet allowing Thaworn and Khor to claim a half despite having been two up with five holes remaining.
‘It was a very exciting round today. We played well and finally won on the last hole. We played each shot at a time and we believed we could win today,” said Huang after also beating Kim and Lee 2&1 in Friday’s fourballs alongside Yuan.
“I co-operated with Yuan Tian. We trust each other and we encouraged each other. We also enjoyed today and that’s important.”
Results from Saturday’s foursomes between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup (China names first):
Huang Wenyi & Yuan Tian beat Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 1up
Wu Ashun & Su Dong lost to Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (AUS) 1up
Li Haotong & Hu Mu lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 2&1
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng halved with Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS)
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming lost to Ryan Fox (NZL) & Mark Brown (NZL) 4&2
Zhang Lianwei & Liang Wenchong lost to Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS) 3&2
Draw for Sunday’s singles between China and Asia Pacific (China names first):
Liang Wenchong v Rhein Gibson (AUS)
Hu Mu v Rory Hie (INA)
Su Dong v Ryan Fox (NZL)
Yan Bin v Thaworn Wiratchant (THA)
Wu Ashun v Mark Brown (NZL)
Huang Wenyi v Scott Laycock (AUS)
Yang Guangming v Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN)
Yuan Tian v Daisuke Maruyama (JPN)
Jin Cheng v Kim Hyung-tae (KOR)
Zhang Lianwei v Antonio Lascuna (PHI) Li Haotong v Lee Jun-seok (AUS) Chen Zihao v Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS)
Friday, December 5, 2014
China Takes Lead In Dongfeng Nissan Cup
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec 5 – Teenagers Chen Zihao and amateur Jin Cheng posted an eye-catching 7&5 win over Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant and Malaysia’s Khor Kheng Hwai as defending champions China claimed a 4-2 lead over Asia Pacific following Friday’s opening day fourballs at OneAsia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup.
Liang Wenchong and Hu Mu also beat Australian duo Scott Laycock and Rhien Gibson 3&2, while Wu Ashun and Su Dong edged out New Zealand pair Mark Brown and Ryan Fox 1 up and Yuan Tian and Huang Wenyi beat Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae and Lee Jun-seok 2&1 at Foison Golf Club.
Indonesia’s Rory Hie and Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines were able to complete a 5&3 victory over Yan Bin and Yang Guangming for Asia Pacific while Japanese duo Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda edged out Zhang Lianwei and Li Haotong 1 up, although Peter Thomson’s two-time champions must re-group ahead of Saturday’s foursomes.
“It’s our first time to play professional matchplay so we tried to enjoy the game. We both made birdies on the second hole which gave us confidence,” said 18-year-old Chen, who only turned professional six weeks ago.
“The greens were very tough, but tomorrow we will play together again and we believe we will co-operate better.
“Jin made an eagle and we led by four holes on the back nine. And then for the back nine we played more confidently. We played very well today.”
Asia Pacific had drawn the first flood of the day as Fox, playing in the second group with compatriot Brown, put up the first blue number with a birdie at the opening hole.
But China soon established their dominance on the day and, with all six groups on the course, the leaderboard soon began to fill up with red as the defending champions led in three matches.
Asia Pacific did hit back to level the contest as the day progressed, but with all the other matches close, teenagers Chen and amateur Jin remained in control of their contest with Thaworn and Khor.
That advantage, though, was countered by with Hie and Lascuna holding a similar lead over Yan and Yang in the final group.
But it was China who claimed the first point of the opening day as Chen holed a putt from 25 feet on the 13th green for birdie to seal an emphatic 7&5 win over Thaworn and Khor after 16-year-old team-mate Jin had earlier eagled the 451 yard par four ninth after holing out from the fairway.
And China’s lead was soon doubled as Liang and Hu completed a hard-fought 3&2 win over Asia Pacific vice-captain Laycock and fellow Australian compatriot Gibson.
A third consecutive win soon arrived as Wu and Su, who holed the winning putt for China last year, edged out Brown and Fox 1up.
There was, though, finally a bright note for beleaguered Asia Pacific as Hie and Lascuna completed a 5&3 victory over Yan and Yang after the Chinese pair had been five down through seven holes, with the Indonesian sealing the point as he chipped in from a bunker at the side of the 15th green.
And Asia Pacific further reduced the deficit as Li missed from two feet on the final green which would have secured a half for himself and Zhang, allowing Japanese duo Maruyama and Masuda to claim the win despite having let slip a two hole advantage at the turn.
China, though, were guaranteed a first day advantage as Yuan and Huang held an unassailable advantage over Kim and Lee with four holes to play.
The Korean pair did manage to take the match to the 17th green, but with Kim unable to hole a putt from 10 feet, China claimed a fourth win of the day and a two point advantage heading into Saturday’s foursomes.
“Even though China had glory on the opening day, there is still more golf to play,” said Asia Pacific captain Thomson, who led the side to Dongfeng Nissan Cup wins in 2011 and 2012.
“The result proves that the China team is the strongest team from China since the Dongfeng Nissan Cup started so we hope to play exceptionally well from now and turn the contest in our favor.
“We also have a strong team and I hope they are seen at the same level as China by the end.”
Results from Friday’s fourballs between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup being played at Foison Golf Club in Guangzhou (China names first):
Liang Wenchong & Hu Mu beat Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS) 3&2
Wu Ashun & Su Dong beat Mark Brown (NZL) & Ryan Fox (NZL) 1up
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng beat Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS) 7&5
Zhang Lianwei & Li Haotong lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 1up
Yuan Tian & Huang Wenyi beat Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (KOR) 2&1
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming lost to Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 5&3
Draw for Saturday’s foursomes:
Huang Wenyi & Yuan Tian v Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI)
Wu Ashun & Su Dong v Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (KOR)
Li Haotong & Hu Mu v Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng v Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming v Ryan Fox (NZL) & Mark Brown (NZL)
Zhang Lianwei & Liang Wenchong v Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS)
Liang Wenchong and Hu Mu also beat Australian duo Scott Laycock and Rhien Gibson 3&2, while Wu Ashun and Su Dong edged out New Zealand pair Mark Brown and Ryan Fox 1 up and Yuan Tian and Huang Wenyi beat Korea Republic’s Kim Hyung-tae and Lee Jun-seok 2&1 at Foison Golf Club.
Indonesia’s Rory Hie and Antonio Lascuna of the Philippines were able to complete a 5&3 victory over Yan Bin and Yang Guangming for Asia Pacific while Japanese duo Daisuke Maruyama and Nobuhiro Masuda edged out Zhang Lianwei and Li Haotong 1 up, although Peter Thomson’s two-time champions must re-group ahead of Saturday’s foursomes.
“It’s our first time to play professional matchplay so we tried to enjoy the game. We both made birdies on the second hole which gave us confidence,” said 18-year-old Chen, who only turned professional six weeks ago.
“The greens were very tough, but tomorrow we will play together again and we believe we will co-operate better.
“Jin made an eagle and we led by four holes on the back nine. And then for the back nine we played more confidently. We played very well today.”
Asia Pacific had drawn the first flood of the day as Fox, playing in the second group with compatriot Brown, put up the first blue number with a birdie at the opening hole.
But China soon established their dominance on the day and, with all six groups on the course, the leaderboard soon began to fill up with red as the defending champions led in three matches.
Asia Pacific did hit back to level the contest as the day progressed, but with all the other matches close, teenagers Chen and amateur Jin remained in control of their contest with Thaworn and Khor.
That advantage, though, was countered by with Hie and Lascuna holding a similar lead over Yan and Yang in the final group.
But it was China who claimed the first point of the opening day as Chen holed a putt from 25 feet on the 13th green for birdie to seal an emphatic 7&5 win over Thaworn and Khor after 16-year-old team-mate Jin had earlier eagled the 451 yard par four ninth after holing out from the fairway.
And China’s lead was soon doubled as Liang and Hu completed a hard-fought 3&2 win over Asia Pacific vice-captain Laycock and fellow Australian compatriot Gibson.
A third consecutive win soon arrived as Wu and Su, who holed the winning putt for China last year, edged out Brown and Fox 1up.
There was, though, finally a bright note for beleaguered Asia Pacific as Hie and Lascuna completed a 5&3 victory over Yan and Yang after the Chinese pair had been five down through seven holes, with the Indonesian sealing the point as he chipped in from a bunker at the side of the 15th green.
And Asia Pacific further reduced the deficit as Li missed from two feet on the final green which would have secured a half for himself and Zhang, allowing Japanese duo Maruyama and Masuda to claim the win despite having let slip a two hole advantage at the turn.
China, though, were guaranteed a first day advantage as Yuan and Huang held an unassailable advantage over Kim and Lee with four holes to play.
The Korean pair did manage to take the match to the 17th green, but with Kim unable to hole a putt from 10 feet, China claimed a fourth win of the day and a two point advantage heading into Saturday’s foursomes.
“Even though China had glory on the opening day, there is still more golf to play,” said Asia Pacific captain Thomson, who led the side to Dongfeng Nissan Cup wins in 2011 and 2012.
“The result proves that the China team is the strongest team from China since the Dongfeng Nissan Cup started so we hope to play exceptionally well from now and turn the contest in our favor.
“We also have a strong team and I hope they are seen at the same level as China by the end.”
Results from Friday’s fourballs between China and Asia Pacific at One Asia’s Dongfeng Nissan Cup being played at Foison Golf Club in Guangzhou (China names first):
Liang Wenchong & Hu Mu beat Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS) 3&2
Wu Ashun & Su Dong beat Mark Brown (NZL) & Ryan Fox (NZL) 1up
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng beat Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai (MAS) 7&5
Zhang Lianwei & Li Haotong lost to Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda (JPN) 1up
Yuan Tian & Huang Wenyi beat Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (KOR) 2&1
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming lost to Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI) 5&3
Draw for Saturday’s foursomes:
Huang Wenyi & Yuan Tian v Rory Hie (INA) & Antonio Lascuna (PHI)
Wu Ashun & Su Dong v Kim Hyung-tae (KOR) & Lee Jun-seok (KOR)
Li Haotong & Hu Mu v Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) & Nobuhiro Masuda
Chen Zihao & Jin Cheng v Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) & Khor Kheng Hwai
Yan Bin & Yang Guangming v Ryan Fox (NZL) & Mark Brown (NZL)
Zhang Lianwei & Liang Wenchong v Scott Laycock (AUS) & Rhein Gibson (AUS)
Friday, November 28, 2014
End Of The Road For Rory Hie At Emirates Australian Open
Sydney, November 28 - Two-time winner Greg Chalmers from Australia grabbed the halfway lead in the Emirates Australian Open today despite the fact that he is playing in his sixth successive tournament.
Showing little signs of fatigue the lefthander fired a five-under-par 66 at The Australian Golf Club to move to five-under 137 for the championship.
The A$1.25 million event jointly-sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Chalmers leads by a stroke from world number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland (69), Australians Adam Crawford (69) and Todd Sinnott (67) and American Conrad Shindler (68), who is a graduate from this year's OneAsia Qualifying School.
American Jordan Spieth, the first round leader, carded a 72 and is a stroke further back.
Rory Hie, the only Indonesian in the field, couldn't keep up., and with a second round 75 it is the end of the road for him here in Australia.
“I don’t feel jet-lagged, it’s just my sixth event in a row and I am trying to conserve my energy. Ironically the more birdies I make the more energy I have,” said Chalmers, who won this title in 1998 and 2011.
He bogeyed his opening hole but managed to make the turn in three under, and made three birdies and dropped just one shot on the homeward stretch.
“I have been fortunate to win this event twice. I think it is very early to be talking about (winning) it given who is behind me. It’s very early to be thinking about what will happen on Sunday night. From my experience that hasn’t work out very well for me in the past,” added the 41-year-old who has spent much of his career playing on the US PGA Tour.
McIlroy had a roller-coaster round made up of an eagle, six birdies and five bogies. He was four under on his last five holes.
He said: “I felt like I had an opportunity today to maybe shoot a good one and put a little bit of space between myself and the rest of the field but it didn't really pan out that way; a few too many mistakes and it was pretty tricky out there to be honest. The wind was swirling quite a bit and it made it hard for club selection.”
Spieth, who began on the 10th, salvaged his round with birdies on his last two holes.
“It was a struggle, big time struggle. I wasn't hitting it well. If I wasn't putting well I may have shot 45 on the back nine. It was really tough to start today, I just didn't find the ball striking until the last few holes,” said 21-year-old Spieth.
Scott put his challenge back on track with a round that was eight shots better than his score on the first day.
He made an eagle and three birdies to break the course record which was bettered later in the day by American Jamie Lovemark - a last minute invite to the event who opened with a 77.
“We had a good morning for it this morning, so I had to take advantage just for the sake of getting myself back into the tournament. I guess it’s fun to shoot a course record. I'm pretty sure it might not hold up for the rest of the week but it feels good anyway,” Scott said predicting correctly.
The Australian was one ahead of McIlroy playing the final hole last year only to let the title slip away when he made bogey while the Northern Irishman birdied.
Ask why scores were high and the course was playing so difficult he said: “I think the greens were certainly testing us, getting to understand the slopes on the greens and especially around the edges of the greens.”
Leading second round scores (Par 71):
Australian unless stated
137 – Greg Chalmers 71 66
138 – Rory McIlroy (NIR) 69 69, Adam Crawford 69 69, Todd Sinnott 71 67, Conrad Shindler (US) 70 68
139 – Jordan Spieth (US) 67 72, Geoff Drakeford 69 70, Brett Rumford 70 69
140 – Robert Allenby 71 69, Rod Pampling 73 67, Jake Higginbottom 71 69, Adam Scott 74 66, Rhein Gibson 69 71, Richard Green 69 71
Selected
147 - Rory Hie (INA) 72 75
Showing little signs of fatigue the lefthander fired a five-under-par 66 at The Australian Golf Club to move to five-under 137 for the championship.
The A$1.25 million event jointly-sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Chalmers leads by a stroke from world number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland (69), Australians Adam Crawford (69) and Todd Sinnott (67) and American Conrad Shindler (68), who is a graduate from this year's OneAsia Qualifying School.
American Jordan Spieth, the first round leader, carded a 72 and is a stroke further back.
Rory Hie, the only Indonesian in the field, couldn't keep up., and with a second round 75 it is the end of the road for him here in Australia.
“I don’t feel jet-lagged, it’s just my sixth event in a row and I am trying to conserve my energy. Ironically the more birdies I make the more energy I have,” said Chalmers, who won this title in 1998 and 2011.
He bogeyed his opening hole but managed to make the turn in three under, and made three birdies and dropped just one shot on the homeward stretch.
“I have been fortunate to win this event twice. I think it is very early to be talking about (winning) it given who is behind me. It’s very early to be thinking about what will happen on Sunday night. From my experience that hasn’t work out very well for me in the past,” added the 41-year-old who has spent much of his career playing on the US PGA Tour.
McIlroy had a roller-coaster round made up of an eagle, six birdies and five bogies. He was four under on his last five holes.
He said: “I felt like I had an opportunity today to maybe shoot a good one and put a little bit of space between myself and the rest of the field but it didn't really pan out that way; a few too many mistakes and it was pretty tricky out there to be honest. The wind was swirling quite a bit and it made it hard for club selection.”
Spieth, who began on the 10th, salvaged his round with birdies on his last two holes.
“It was a struggle, big time struggle. I wasn't hitting it well. If I wasn't putting well I may have shot 45 on the back nine. It was really tough to start today, I just didn't find the ball striking until the last few holes,” said 21-year-old Spieth.
Scott put his challenge back on track with a round that was eight shots better than his score on the first day.
He made an eagle and three birdies to break the course record which was bettered later in the day by American Jamie Lovemark - a last minute invite to the event who opened with a 77.
“We had a good morning for it this morning, so I had to take advantage just for the sake of getting myself back into the tournament. I guess it’s fun to shoot a course record. I'm pretty sure it might not hold up for the rest of the week but it feels good anyway,” Scott said predicting correctly.
The Australian was one ahead of McIlroy playing the final hole last year only to let the title slip away when he made bogey while the Northern Irishman birdied.
Ask why scores were high and the course was playing so difficult he said: “I think the greens were certainly testing us, getting to understand the slopes on the greens and especially around the edges of the greens.”
Leading second round scores (Par 71):
Australian unless stated
137 – Greg Chalmers 71 66
138 – Rory McIlroy (NIR) 69 69, Adam Crawford 69 69, Todd Sinnott 71 67, Conrad Shindler (US) 70 68
139 – Jordan Spieth (US) 67 72, Geoff Drakeford 69 70, Brett Rumford 70 69
140 – Robert Allenby 71 69, Rod Pampling 73 67, Jake Higginbottom 71 69, Adam Scott 74 66, Rhein Gibson 69 71, Richard Green 69 71
Selected
147 - Rory Hie (INA) 72 75
Rory Hie Keeping Up With Rory McIlroy At Emirates Australian Open
Sydney, November 27 - American Jordan Spieth stamped his star quality on the Emirates Australian Open today after taking the first round lead with a four-under-par 67.
Playing in his first tournament Down Under the 21-year-old put together a solid round in difficult windy conditions at The Australian Golf Club.
Australians Aron Price and Scott Gardiner returned 68s in an event jointly-sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
World number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland fired a 69 along with Australians Adam Crawford, Richard Green, Andrew Tampion, Geoff Drakeford, and Brendon De Jonge from Zimbabwe.
Indonesian Rory Hie completed his round in 72 strokes and is currently in a share of 32nd place on the leaderboard, only two strokes back from 'the other Rory'.
Australian Adam Scott, runner-up last year and the champion in 2009, had a poor day and came in with a 74.
“Growing up I always wanted to come and play in Australia. It really was fun today,” said Spieth.
The Texan, paired with Scott and Australian Nick Cullen, toured the outward nine in one-under with two birdies and one dropped shot.
On the homeward stretch he charged up the leader board with three birdies on the trot from the 14th to go to five under. However, he bogeyed the penultimate hole.
Spieth turned professional in 2012 after a stellar amateur career that saw him ranked number one in the world.
The following season he burst onto the professional scene by winning the John Deere Classic to become the fourth youngest PGA Tour winner and the first teenager in 82 years.
This year he has cemented his position as one of the most exciting young players in the game by claiming second place in the US Masters while also making a fine debut in the Ryder Cup.
Price, who spent most of his career playing in the United States, led for much of the day before Spieth took over at the top. He recently welcomed his first child into the world.
“Yeah, it’s taught me a little bit about my golf, just with patience. You think you lose patience out here and trying to stop a little baby crying who’s crying for no reason, it sort of puts perspective on hitting a shot left or right or whatever,” said Price.
McIlroy began his round on the 10th and made the turn in one under. Three birdies on the next nine, including one on the last, and a bogey saw him finish in a strong position.
He said: “I didn't really get much going, I made a lot of pars. The conditions were pretty tricky. It was tough to get the ball close to the pins with the wind and these greens being quite firm as well.”
Having flown in from Dubai on Monday and up early this morning at 4.30 he said he struggled with jet lag today.
“Ball striking wasn't really there. Again, I played okay, I gave myself plenty of chances early on but I just know I can play better, so I feel if I’m on my game, I can get it going and shoot something in the low to mid 60s,” he added.
Leading first round scores (Par 71):
Australian unless stated.
67 – Jordan Spieth (US)
68 – Aron Price, Scott Gardiner
69 – Rory McIlroy (NIR), Adam Crawford, Richard Green, Andrew Tampion, Geoff Drakeford, Brendon De Jonge (ZIM), Achi Sato (JPN)
70 – Brett Rumford, Bryden Macpherson, Antonio Murdaca, Patrick Rodgers (US), Rohan Blizzard, Conrad Shindler (US), Steven Bowditch, David McKenzie, Michael Hendry (NZ), Rhein Gibson, Lincoln Tighe
Selected:
72 – Rory Hie (INA)
Playing in his first tournament Down Under the 21-year-old put together a solid round in difficult windy conditions at The Australian Golf Club.
Australians Aron Price and Scott Gardiner returned 68s in an event jointly-sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
World number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland fired a 69 along with Australians Adam Crawford, Richard Green, Andrew Tampion, Geoff Drakeford, and Brendon De Jonge from Zimbabwe.
Indonesian Rory Hie completed his round in 72 strokes and is currently in a share of 32nd place on the leaderboard, only two strokes back from 'the other Rory'.
Australian Adam Scott, runner-up last year and the champion in 2009, had a poor day and came in with a 74.
“Growing up I always wanted to come and play in Australia. It really was fun today,” said Spieth.
The Texan, paired with Scott and Australian Nick Cullen, toured the outward nine in one-under with two birdies and one dropped shot.
On the homeward stretch he charged up the leader board with three birdies on the trot from the 14th to go to five under. However, he bogeyed the penultimate hole.
Spieth turned professional in 2012 after a stellar amateur career that saw him ranked number one in the world.
The following season he burst onto the professional scene by winning the John Deere Classic to become the fourth youngest PGA Tour winner and the first teenager in 82 years.
This year he has cemented his position as one of the most exciting young players in the game by claiming second place in the US Masters while also making a fine debut in the Ryder Cup.
Price, who spent most of his career playing in the United States, led for much of the day before Spieth took over at the top. He recently welcomed his first child into the world.
“Yeah, it’s taught me a little bit about my golf, just with patience. You think you lose patience out here and trying to stop a little baby crying who’s crying for no reason, it sort of puts perspective on hitting a shot left or right or whatever,” said Price.
McIlroy began his round on the 10th and made the turn in one under. Three birdies on the next nine, including one on the last, and a bogey saw him finish in a strong position.
He said: “I didn't really get much going, I made a lot of pars. The conditions were pretty tricky. It was tough to get the ball close to the pins with the wind and these greens being quite firm as well.”
Having flown in from Dubai on Monday and up early this morning at 4.30 he said he struggled with jet lag today.
“Ball striking wasn't really there. Again, I played okay, I gave myself plenty of chances early on but I just know I can play better, so I feel if I’m on my game, I can get it going and shoot something in the low to mid 60s,” he added.
Leading first round scores (Par 71):
Australian unless stated.
67 – Jordan Spieth (US)
68 – Aron Price, Scott Gardiner
69 – Rory McIlroy (NIR), Adam Crawford, Richard Green, Andrew Tampion, Geoff Drakeford, Brendon De Jonge (ZIM), Achi Sato (JPN)
70 – Brett Rumford, Bryden Macpherson, Antonio Murdaca, Patrick Rodgers (US), Rohan Blizzard, Conrad Shindler (US), Steven Bowditch, David McKenzie, Michael Hendry (NZ), Rhein Gibson, Lincoln Tighe
Selected:
72 – Rory Hie (INA)
Monday, October 27, 2014
Strong Finish For Rory Hie At Kolon Korea Open
Cheonan, October 27 - Korea’s Kim Seung-hyuk sank the putts when it mattered and waited for his closest pursuer to wilt under pressure en route to victory at the Kolon Korea Open on Monday, his second win of the season on OneAsia.
His four-day total of two-under par 282 saw him finish two shots ahead of highly rated countryman Noh Seung-yul and extend his lead in the 2014 OneAsia Order of Merit race.
A stroke ahead of amateur Ham Jeong-woo when the fourth round was halted by darkness on Sunday, Kim played patient golf on the restart and parred his five remaining holes for a closing 70 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
“My game plan was just to make pars,” said the 28-year-old Kim, who won the SK Telecom Open in May. “It’s a difficult course and you really need to manage your game if you expect to win here.”
Ham had been leading the tournament until he reached the final nine holes when a bogey and double bogey brought him back to the field before play was suspended on Sunday.
His expected challenge when play resumed on Monday was derailed by bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes and he had to settle for a 75 and a tie for third.
Kim, who led the OneAsia money list with US$223,311 in winnings going into the tournament, called it right when he said after the final round was suspended on Sunday that the way he played the 16th and 17th holes would be the key to his lifting the title.
The in-form Kim, winner of the Top Cup Tokai Classic on the Japan Tour earlier this month, stared a bogey in the face on the par-three 16th after his chip ran past the hole but kept his slender lead with a brilliant 20-foot putt to save par.
On the 17th, he sank a tricky six-footer to again save par after his putt from the fringe came up short.
With a two-stroke lead over PGA Tour regular Noh, who had completed his round on Sunday and was the clubhouse leader at even par, Kim settled for a par on the 18th to cement his victory.
As the current leader of the OneAsia money list he will play the BMW Masters which tees off on Thursday in Shanghai, China.
Major winner Y. E. Yang, who was in a position to make a challenge, could not get things going and a succession of pars kept him four strokes behind the leader and out of contention. He closed with a 74 for sixth place on his own.
Indonesia's Rory Hie, who had dropped 5 strokes in the third round, was able to recover in the final round, and with 3 birdies and a single bogey he had his best round of the tournament, lifting him to tie for 14th place overall.
The Kolon Korea Open, which is one of the longest running national opens in Asia, was plagued by daily fog delays since it started on Thursday resulting in a Monday finish.
The next tournament on OneAsia is the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club from November 27-30.
Leading fourth round scores (Korean unless stated) (Par 71):
282 - Kim Seung-hyuk 73-68-71-70
284 - Noh Seung-yul 73-71-71-69
285 - Lee Tae-hee 72-72-72-69, Choi Ho-sung 67-79-67-72, Ham Jeong-woo (AM) 70-68-72-75
286 - Y. E. Yang 72-70-70-74
287 - Maeng Dong-seop 72-74-74-67, Hong Soon-sang 72-70-73-72, Park Ju-hyuk 71-70-72-74, Jun Seok Lee (Aus) 70-68-78-71, Kang Ji-man 69-69-77-72
Selected:
289 - Rory Hie (Ina) 72-72-76-69
His four-day total of two-under par 282 saw him finish two shots ahead of highly rated countryman Noh Seung-yul and extend his lead in the 2014 OneAsia Order of Merit race.
A stroke ahead of amateur Ham Jeong-woo when the fourth round was halted by darkness on Sunday, Kim played patient golf on the restart and parred his five remaining holes for a closing 70 at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
“My game plan was just to make pars,” said the 28-year-old Kim, who won the SK Telecom Open in May. “It’s a difficult course and you really need to manage your game if you expect to win here.”
Ham had been leading the tournament until he reached the final nine holes when a bogey and double bogey brought him back to the field before play was suspended on Sunday.
His expected challenge when play resumed on Monday was derailed by bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes and he had to settle for a 75 and a tie for third.
Kim, who led the OneAsia money list with US$223,311 in winnings going into the tournament, called it right when he said after the final round was suspended on Sunday that the way he played the 16th and 17th holes would be the key to his lifting the title.
The in-form Kim, winner of the Top Cup Tokai Classic on the Japan Tour earlier this month, stared a bogey in the face on the par-three 16th after his chip ran past the hole but kept his slender lead with a brilliant 20-foot putt to save par.
On the 17th, he sank a tricky six-footer to again save par after his putt from the fringe came up short.
With a two-stroke lead over PGA Tour regular Noh, who had completed his round on Sunday and was the clubhouse leader at even par, Kim settled for a par on the 18th to cement his victory.
As the current leader of the OneAsia money list he will play the BMW Masters which tees off on Thursday in Shanghai, China.
Major winner Y. E. Yang, who was in a position to make a challenge, could not get things going and a succession of pars kept him four strokes behind the leader and out of contention. He closed with a 74 for sixth place on his own.
Indonesia's Rory Hie, who had dropped 5 strokes in the third round, was able to recover in the final round, and with 3 birdies and a single bogey he had his best round of the tournament, lifting him to tie for 14th place overall.
The Kolon Korea Open, which is one of the longest running national opens in Asia, was plagued by daily fog delays since it started on Thursday resulting in a Monday finish.
The next tournament on OneAsia is the Emirates Australian Open at The Australian Golf Club from November 27-30.
Leading fourth round scores (Korean unless stated) (Par 71):
282 - Kim Seung-hyuk 73-68-71-70
284 - Noh Seung-yul 73-71-71-69
285 - Lee Tae-hee 72-72-72-69, Choi Ho-sung 67-79-67-72, Ham Jeong-woo (AM) 70-68-72-75
286 - Y. E. Yang 72-70-70-74
287 - Maeng Dong-seop 72-74-74-67, Hong Soon-sang 72-70-73-72, Park Ju-hyuk 71-70-72-74, Jun Seok Lee (Aus) 70-68-78-71, Kang Ji-man 69-69-77-72
Selected:
289 - Rory Hie (Ina) 72-72-76-69
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Solid Rounds For Rory Hie At Kolon Korea Open
Cheonan, October 25 - Major champion and former winner Y. E. Yang, looking for a morale-boosting victory after a poor season, nosed ahead midway through the third round of the fog-disrupted Kolon Korea Open on Saturday.
Yang, who won the Kolon Korea Open for the second time in 2010 a year after his success at the PGA Championship, shot three birdies in his opening nine holes to move to three-under for the tournament at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
He was a stroke ahead of six players - countrymen Chang Yi-keun, Jeon Yun-cheol, Park Ju-hyuk, Ham Jeong-woo and Kang Ji-man and Australia’s Jun Seok Lee - when play was halted because of darkness.
The OneAsia tournament has been delayed by early-morning fog every day and nobody finished the third round on Saturday. Play is scheduled to resume at 7am on Sunday.
As the halfway leaders faltered early in the third round, Yang took his opportunity to strike with birdies at the second, fifth and eighth hole.
“I know the course and understand how to play it,” said Yang, a two-time winner on OneAsia. “I will just keep my pace and play my game tomorrow and not attack the course.”
Earlier on Saturday, in-form Lee, runner-up in OneAsia’s Nanshan China Masters at the beginning of the month, birdied the 18th hole to join a four-way tie for the halfway lead.
Lee, who is enjoying a banner season after winning Q-School’s final stage at Sabah in March, carded a 68 to sit atop the leaderboard with Kang (69), Jeon (71) and amateur Ham (68).
Kang finished his second round on Friday while Lee, Jeon and Ham completed their remaining holes on Saturday morning.
Korean-born Lee, currently sixth on the OneAsia Order of Merit with winnings of US$118, 996, started his third round with a bogey and also bogeyed the seventh - his last hole before play was stopped - which dropped him to two-under par for the tournament.
Ham also slipped off the lead with back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth holes. The same fate had befallen first round leader Jeon who was tripped by bogeys on the fifth and seventh hole.
Even veteran Kang, who was grinding it out with consecutive pars from the start, succumbed to a double bogey on the seventh hole to add himself to the six-man logjam in second spot.
“Woo Jeong Hills has a way of biting back if you lose your concentration,” said Kang. “I know I will play well if I concentrate."
Chang, who recorded a top-10 finish at the Nanshan China Masters, moved into the picture with a four-under 32 on the front nine that included five birdies and a lone bogey.
Rory Hie from Indonesia, who finished his second round on Friday, had played both rounds in 1-over, what put him in share of 18th place.
Leading second round scores (Korean unless stated) (Par 71)
138 - Kang Ji-man 69-69, Jeon Yun-cheol 67-71, Jun Seok Lee (AUS) 70-68, Ham Jeong-woo (AM) 70-68
141 - Park Ju-hyuk 71-70, Kim Seung-hyuk 73-68
142 - Park Jun-won 71-71, Hwang In-choon 73-69, Choi Jin-ho 71-71, Hong Soon-sang 72-70, Y.E. Yang 72-70
Selected:
144 - Rory Hie (INA) 72-72
Yang, who won the Kolon Korea Open for the second time in 2010 a year after his success at the PGA Championship, shot three birdies in his opening nine holes to move to three-under for the tournament at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
He was a stroke ahead of six players - countrymen Chang Yi-keun, Jeon Yun-cheol, Park Ju-hyuk, Ham Jeong-woo and Kang Ji-man and Australia’s Jun Seok Lee - when play was halted because of darkness.
The OneAsia tournament has been delayed by early-morning fog every day and nobody finished the third round on Saturday. Play is scheduled to resume at 7am on Sunday.
As the halfway leaders faltered early in the third round, Yang took his opportunity to strike with birdies at the second, fifth and eighth hole.
“I know the course and understand how to play it,” said Yang, a two-time winner on OneAsia. “I will just keep my pace and play my game tomorrow and not attack the course.”
Earlier on Saturday, in-form Lee, runner-up in OneAsia’s Nanshan China Masters at the beginning of the month, birdied the 18th hole to join a four-way tie for the halfway lead.
Lee, who is enjoying a banner season after winning Q-School’s final stage at Sabah in March, carded a 68 to sit atop the leaderboard with Kang (69), Jeon (71) and amateur Ham (68).
Kang finished his second round on Friday while Lee, Jeon and Ham completed their remaining holes on Saturday morning.
Korean-born Lee, currently sixth on the OneAsia Order of Merit with winnings of US$118, 996, started his third round with a bogey and also bogeyed the seventh - his last hole before play was stopped - which dropped him to two-under par for the tournament.
Ham also slipped off the lead with back-to-back bogeys at the third and fourth holes. The same fate had befallen first round leader Jeon who was tripped by bogeys on the fifth and seventh hole.
Even veteran Kang, who was grinding it out with consecutive pars from the start, succumbed to a double bogey on the seventh hole to add himself to the six-man logjam in second spot.
“Woo Jeong Hills has a way of biting back if you lose your concentration,” said Kang. “I know I will play well if I concentrate."
Chang, who recorded a top-10 finish at the Nanshan China Masters, moved into the picture with a four-under 32 on the front nine that included five birdies and a lone bogey.
Rory Hie from Indonesia, who finished his second round on Friday, had played both rounds in 1-over, what put him in share of 18th place.
Leading second round scores (Korean unless stated) (Par 71)
138 - Kang Ji-man 69-69, Jeon Yun-cheol 67-71, Jun Seok Lee (AUS) 70-68, Ham Jeong-woo (AM) 70-68
141 - Park Ju-hyuk 71-70, Kim Seung-hyuk 73-68
142 - Park Jun-won 71-71, Hwang In-choon 73-69, Choi Jin-ho 71-71, Hong Soon-sang 72-70, Y.E. Yang 72-70
Selected:
144 - Rory Hie (INA) 72-72
Friday, August 15, 2014
Rory Hie Misses Cut At Fiji International
Fiji, August 15 - Former amateur star Jake Higginbottom from Australia took the halfway lead in the US$1 million Fiji International today following an impressive three-under-par 69.
In windy conditions at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course, designed by Fijian star Vijay Singh who is also competing, he moved to the top of the leader board on seven under.
His countrymen Cameron Smith (68), Steve Jeffress (70) and Andrew Dodt (71) are two shots back in an event jointly sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia.
Overnight leader Wang Minghao from China had a poor day shooting an 82 and missed the five over par cut by one shot.
Three-time Major winner Singh carded a 74 and is three over for the inaugural event.
In 2012, Higginbottom became the first amateur in more than half a century to win the BMW New Zealand Open and he showed today that he is just as comfortable playing as a member of the professional ranks.
“It was pretty windy out there this morning,” said the 20-year-old.
“It is a great course and challenging especially when the wind gets up. I feel I have my game plan worked out and need to stick to that for next few days. I need to be smart but also aggressive. Out here you want to have as many shots as you can to be in front. You have got to make birdies but having said that even par is a good score.”
He started his round on the 10th and made two glorious birdies on 17 and 18. His only bogey came on the ninth hole.
“It is a great position to be in and this is what we play for, hopefully I can play well tomorrow and be in the same position.”
Indian star Anirban Lahiri, winner of the 2014 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters earlier this year and fresh from competing in last week’s US PGA Championship, came in with a strong 69 to sit six off the lead.
Said the Indian: “That felt good especially after the long journey to get here from the States. I am in a nice position going into the weekend. Sixty nine was a good score today.”
China’s Liang Wenchong, a four-time winner on OneAsia, is on the same score after returning a 71.
“I am getting used to the course as today was my third round on the course this week,” said Liang.
“It was windy but I have learned how to handle it and will work hard to get into position to challenge at the weekend. I am really enjoying playing in Fiji. It is my first time here and the people are just so friendly.”
The 2010 OneAsia Order of Merit champion was helped by birdies on 16 and 17.
Nick Price from Zimbabwe, a three-time Major winner, finished right on the halfway cut line after shooting a 76.
Playing 74 in the first round, Indonesia's Rory Hie had a poor second round with 3 birdies, 3 bogeys, 2 double bogeys, and a disastrous quadruple bogey on the par 4 16th, a hole he birdied the day before, missing the cut by 5 strokes with a total score of 154.
In windy conditions at Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course, designed by Fijian star Vijay Singh who is also competing, he moved to the top of the leader board on seven under.
His countrymen Cameron Smith (68), Steve Jeffress (70) and Andrew Dodt (71) are two shots back in an event jointly sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia and OneAsia.
Overnight leader Wang Minghao from China had a poor day shooting an 82 and missed the five over par cut by one shot.
Three-time Major winner Singh carded a 74 and is three over for the inaugural event.
In 2012, Higginbottom became the first amateur in more than half a century to win the BMW New Zealand Open and he showed today that he is just as comfortable playing as a member of the professional ranks.
“It was pretty windy out there this morning,” said the 20-year-old.
“It is a great course and challenging especially when the wind gets up. I feel I have my game plan worked out and need to stick to that for next few days. I need to be smart but also aggressive. Out here you want to have as many shots as you can to be in front. You have got to make birdies but having said that even par is a good score.”
He started his round on the 10th and made two glorious birdies on 17 and 18. His only bogey came on the ninth hole.
“It is a great position to be in and this is what we play for, hopefully I can play well tomorrow and be in the same position.”
Indian star Anirban Lahiri, winner of the 2014 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters earlier this year and fresh from competing in last week’s US PGA Championship, came in with a strong 69 to sit six off the lead.
Said the Indian: “That felt good especially after the long journey to get here from the States. I am in a nice position going into the weekend. Sixty nine was a good score today.”
China’s Liang Wenchong, a four-time winner on OneAsia, is on the same score after returning a 71.
“I am getting used to the course as today was my third round on the course this week,” said Liang.
“It was windy but I have learned how to handle it and will work hard to get into position to challenge at the weekend. I am really enjoying playing in Fiji. It is my first time here and the people are just so friendly.”
The 2010 OneAsia Order of Merit champion was helped by birdies on 16 and 17.
Nick Price from Zimbabwe, a three-time Major winner, finished right on the halfway cut line after shooting a 76.
Playing 74 in the first round, Indonesia's Rory Hie had a poor second round with 3 birdies, 3 bogeys, 2 double bogeys, and a disastrous quadruple bogey on the par 4 16th, a hole he birdied the day before, missing the cut by 5 strokes with a total score of 154.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Mixed Success For Rory Hie At SK Telecom Open
INCHEON, Korea, May 18 - Journeyman Kim Seung-hyuk birdied the last for a two-under-par 70 on Sunday to win OneAsia's SK Telecom Open by a shot from Lee Tae-hee (69) and Kim Kyung-tae (71) at Sky72 Golf Club in Incheon, west of Seoul.
The 28-year-old Korean finished 11 under par around the 6,622-metre (7,241-yard) Ocean Course to claim his first professional title in a career that started in 2005.
Australian David Bransdon (69) also challenged down the stretch but had to settle for fourth place at nine under, while star attraction K.J. Choi (68) was a shot further behind.
Kim banked $195,000 from the one billion won (around U.S. $1 million) purse and moves to the top of the Order of Merit. He is the third player to claim a career-first victory on OneAsia this season following Alexander Levy at the Volvo China Open in April and Park Jun-won at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last week.
The lead changed hands several times in a gripping final round -- at one point the top four were all tied at 10 under -- on a day where there were birdies aplenty, but also bogeys lurking around every corner.
Sharing the overnight lead with multiple-winner Kim Kyung-tae, Kim Seung-hyuk looked to have blown his chance with a double-bogey at the fourth, but birdies at five and seven got him back in the mix.
I didn’t panic after the double,” he said. “There was still a lot of holes to come, so I just tried to focus on my game.”
He got nervous at the 11th, however, when a glance at the leaderboard after another birdie showed the leaderboard log jam.
“Now we were starting to run out of holes, but I told myself again that I just needed to worry about myself, not anyone else.”
One group ahead, Lee Tae-hee birdied 17 and just missed another on 18 to post a 10-under par target, while playing partner Bransdon made amends for a dropped shot at 17 with a final hole birdie to finish one behind.
Kim Kyung-tae fell away after dropping shots on 11 and 12, but back-to-back birdies on the next two -- as well as a birdie and bogey on 16 and 17 -- kept him in the hunt.
The Kims walked onto the 18th both needing a birdie for victory; Kyung-tae’s 20 footer slid agonisingly by, but Seung-hyuk’s nine-footer, seemingly running out of steam, found the cup.
“It was a fantastic feeling when it went in,” he said, ”now I know I can win a golf tournament, so I can set my sights on winning more.”
As the top international finisher, Bransdon was delighted with his effort.
“If you had asked me before the week if I’d take fourth I would have grabbed it right then,” he said. “Its been a great week for me and hopefully I can build on this effort for the rest of the year.”
Other notable results included American David Oh (70) who finished in a share of ninth at five under and Australians Michael Wright (70) and Jason Scrivener (73) who were one stroke behind.
The Kiwi pair of Mark Brown (71) and Ryan Fox (70) shared 17th place at two under, while defending champion Matthew Griffin of Australia closed with a 71 to finish one behind in 24th alongside countrymen Michael Sim (71), David McKenzie (71) and Nick Cullen(73), as well as Americans Garrett Sapp (72) and Jason Kang (71).
Rory Hie finished the tournament in the back. The only Indonesian player in the field barely made the cut, and with a fair 3rd round he was able to climb to a share of 54th. The final day though things went the wrong way. Despite 4 birdies in the final round, 7 bogeys and a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole meant he finished the tournament in a share of 67th place at 9-over-par.
Score after the final round of the one billion won (U.S. $1 million) SK Telecom Open being played at Sky72's 6,622-metre (7,241-yard), par-72 Ocean Course:
277 - Kim Seung-hyuk (KOR) 66-74-67-70
278 - Lee Tae-hee (KOR) 68-68-73-69, Kim Kyung-tae (KOR) 70-70-67-71
279 - David Bransdon (AUS) 71-70-69-69
280 - K. J. Choi (KOR) 75-67-70-68
Selected:
297 - Rory Hie (INA) 75-72-73-77
The 28-year-old Korean finished 11 under par around the 6,622-metre (7,241-yard) Ocean Course to claim his first professional title in a career that started in 2005.
Australian David Bransdon (69) also challenged down the stretch but had to settle for fourth place at nine under, while star attraction K.J. Choi (68) was a shot further behind.
Kim banked $195,000 from the one billion won (around U.S. $1 million) purse and moves to the top of the Order of Merit. He is the third player to claim a career-first victory on OneAsia this season following Alexander Levy at the Volvo China Open in April and Park Jun-won at the GS Caltex Maekyung Open last week.
The lead changed hands several times in a gripping final round -- at one point the top four were all tied at 10 under -- on a day where there were birdies aplenty, but also bogeys lurking around every corner.
Sharing the overnight lead with multiple-winner Kim Kyung-tae, Kim Seung-hyuk looked to have blown his chance with a double-bogey at the fourth, but birdies at five and seven got him back in the mix.
I didn’t panic after the double,” he said. “There was still a lot of holes to come, so I just tried to focus on my game.”
He got nervous at the 11th, however, when a glance at the leaderboard after another birdie showed the leaderboard log jam.
“Now we were starting to run out of holes, but I told myself again that I just needed to worry about myself, not anyone else.”
One group ahead, Lee Tae-hee birdied 17 and just missed another on 18 to post a 10-under par target, while playing partner Bransdon made amends for a dropped shot at 17 with a final hole birdie to finish one behind.
Kim Kyung-tae fell away after dropping shots on 11 and 12, but back-to-back birdies on the next two -- as well as a birdie and bogey on 16 and 17 -- kept him in the hunt.
The Kims walked onto the 18th both needing a birdie for victory; Kyung-tae’s 20 footer slid agonisingly by, but Seung-hyuk’s nine-footer, seemingly running out of steam, found the cup.
“It was a fantastic feeling when it went in,” he said, ”now I know I can win a golf tournament, so I can set my sights on winning more.”
As the top international finisher, Bransdon was delighted with his effort.
“If you had asked me before the week if I’d take fourth I would have grabbed it right then,” he said. “Its been a great week for me and hopefully I can build on this effort for the rest of the year.”
Other notable results included American David Oh (70) who finished in a share of ninth at five under and Australians Michael Wright (70) and Jason Scrivener (73) who were one stroke behind.
The Kiwi pair of Mark Brown (71) and Ryan Fox (70) shared 17th place at two under, while defending champion Matthew Griffin of Australia closed with a 71 to finish one behind in 24th alongside countrymen Michael Sim (71), David McKenzie (71) and Nick Cullen(73), as well as Americans Garrett Sapp (72) and Jason Kang (71).
Rory Hie finished the tournament in the back. The only Indonesian player in the field barely made the cut, and with a fair 3rd round he was able to climb to a share of 54th. The final day though things went the wrong way. Despite 4 birdies in the final round, 7 bogeys and a double bogey on the par-5 13th hole meant he finished the tournament in a share of 67th place at 9-over-par.
Score after the final round of the one billion won (U.S. $1 million) SK Telecom Open being played at Sky72's 6,622-metre (7,241-yard), par-72 Ocean Course:
277 - Kim Seung-hyuk (KOR) 66-74-67-70
278 - Lee Tae-hee (KOR) 68-68-73-69, Kim Kyung-tae (KOR) 70-70-67-71
279 - David Bransdon (AUS) 71-70-69-69
280 - K. J. Choi (KOR) 75-67-70-68
Selected:
297 - Rory Hie (INA) 75-72-73-77
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
New Indonesian Golf Tour For Pros And Amateurs Launched
For the first time Indonesia has its own professional golf tour, the Indonesian Golf Tour. It is an ambitious new professional golf circuit aimed at speeding the development of Indonesia’s up and coming golfers.
The playing field will comprise of 80 Indonesian Golf Professionals, 30 Male Amateurs, 20 Female Amateurs and 14 special invites marking the first time Indonesia has seen such a tour that allows for a playing field offering opportunities to both Amateurs and Golf Professionals at the same time.
A total of thirteen 3-day events will be hosted at selected courses in the greater Jakarta area with each boasting IDR 200,000,000 prize purses. All 13 events will earn ranking points for the participating golf professionals, which will set the stage for the Road to the Indonesian Golf Championship to be hosted at Jakarta Golf Club (Rawamangun) from December 10th – 13th this year.
The top 30 golf professionals and top 10 amateurs will play for the grand prize purse of IDR 500,000,000 with all golf professionals guaranteed winnings in the 4-day tournament as well as the three top professional securing themselves a country exemption spot on the Asian Development Tour for the 2015 season.
As a result of this new initiative for professional and amateur golf in Indonesia, close to 10 amateurs have converted their status to professional status in order to allow them to play for money on the Indonesian Golf Tour.
The Indonesia Golf Tour was officially launched on March 21st during a Press Conference in Jakarta, but two events, the PGP Classic at Senayan National Golf Club and the Indonesia Golf Challenge at Palm Hill Golf Club, were already held prior to this launch.
"The long term future for golf in Indonesia is not paying large sums to bring the world's superstars to play here but creating our own stars," Johannes Dermawan, the chairman of Professional Golf Tour Indonesia (PGTI) said at the launch event.
"We need to create more stars that we ourselves can be proud of, stars that the Indonesian people will flock to see and stars that will eventually play among the world's top golfers in the world's top tournaments. But we can only achieve this by giving our best and most promising golfers the opportunity to develop their competitive skills, by giving them the chance to compete regularly." added Dermawan.
Indonesian Golf Star, Rory Hie added, “The Road to the Indonesian Golf Championship will create a buzz factor on the Indonesian Golf Tour as players compete throughout the season to make it into the field for the final event. We thank the tournament organizers for supporting this positive development.”
During the Press Conference, Professional golfers from across the country were presented with the vision and objectives of The Indonesian Golf Tour and were encouraged to use its platform as a unique opportunity to improve their fortunes.
The launch was blessed with the presence of representatives from Persatuan Golf Indonesia (Indonesian Golf Association) and Badan Professional Olahraga Indonesia (Professional Sports Association of Indonesia) as well as many of Indonesia’s leading golf professionals, all of whom echoed the sentiments expressed above.
The Indonesian Golf Tour series brings the total number of Professional Golf events being hosted in Indonesia to 20 events, including 2 Asian Tour events (CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters and Indonesia Open), 1 OneAsia event (Indonesian PGA Championship), 2 Asian Development Tour events (Linc Group Jakarta Classic and Linc Group Jakarta Invitational) and the Camry Invitational.
This is the first time Indonesia has seen so many professional golf events being hosted in a single year.
The 2014 schedule for the Indonesia Golf Tour:
| No | Date | Event | Venue |
| 1 | Jan 26-28 | PGP Classic | Senayan National GC |
| 2 | Feb 18-20 | Indonesia Golf Challenge | Palm Hill GC |
| 3 | Apr 1-3 | Citra Sembilan Satu | Emeralda GC |
| 4 | May 6-8 | Indonesian Classic @ | LotusLakes Golf |
| 5 | May 19-21 | JGC Classic | Jakarta GC (Rawamangun) |
| 6 | Jun 10-12 | Indonesian Classic @ | PG Modern |
| 7 | Jun 17-19 | Indonesian Classic @ | Jababeka GCC |
| 8 | Aug 12-14 | Indonesian Classic @ | Sedana GCC |
| 9 | Aug 26-28 | JGC Classic | Jakarta GC (Rawamangun) |
| 10 | Sep 23-25 | Indonesian Classic @ | tba |
| 11 | Oct 21-23 | Indonesian Classic @ | tba |
| 12 | Nov 4-6 | JGC Classic | Jakarta GC (Rawamangun) |
| 13 | Nov 18-20 | Indonesian Classic @ | tba |
| 14 | Dec 10-13 | IGT Final | Jakarta GC (Rawamangun) |
Thrilling Showdown On Final Day Of The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship
The 31-year-old had rounds of 65, 67, 67 and 68 to finish 21 under par around Damai Indah Golf’s 6,545-metre (7,160-yard) Bumi Serpong Damai course to claim the $180,000 first prize at a tournament co-sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour.
Australian Rhein Gibson (62) and Filipino Juvic Pagunsan (69) shared second place, while China’s Wu Ashun (69) was alone in fourth.
Matsumura trailed overnight leader Park Sang-hyun by a shot going into the final round and looked to have blown his chance after starting with a bogey and then doubling the sixth. But six birdies on a blistering back nine -- none better than on the 17th when he drained a 24-footer -- saw him home.
A three-time winner previously on the Japan Tour, Matsumura said he was delighted to win abroad for the first time.
“It has been my dream since I became a professional to win a tournament outside Japan,” he said. “It is a great honor to win this title at such a beautiful course.”
Gibson had set the pace much earlier in day with a scorching 62 that equaled the course record set by Gaganjeet Bhullar in 2007.
The 28-year-old, a graduate of OneAsia Q-School in 2013, is the official world record holder of the lowest ever score by a professional -- a 17-under-par 55 he managed at River Oaks Golf Club in his adopted home of Oklahoma -- but Sunday’s round was a career best in a sanctioned tournament.
Gibson, who finished fourth at OneAsia’s Emirates Australian Open last year to earn one of three slots available to Britain’s 2014 Open Championship, had an eagle, ten birdies and two bogeys in an astonishing round that was interrupted when he was on the 17th for nearly three hours by a sudden thunderstorm.
“I had some good yardages and just hit it to within a couple of feet,” he said. “I had some really cheap birdies and that’s what really got me going.”
Bogeys on 10 and 14 saw Pagunsan, a winner here in 2007, slip out of contention, but he birdied three of the last four holes to bounce back into contention.
“It just wasn’t going to be the day today,” he said.
The leading Korean finisher was fifth-placed Maeng Dong-seop (65) who closed at 17 under par, while leading local player George Gandranata (71) had a share of 37th at nine under.
OneAsia’s next event is the 20 million Yuan (around $3.2 million) Volvo China Open at Genzon Golf Club from April 24 - 27.
Scores after Round 4 of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation, being played at the 6,545-metre (7,160-yard) Damai Indah Golf BSD course (par 72):
267 - Michio Matsumura (JPN) 65-67-67-68
268 - Rhein Gibson (AUS) 69-65-72-62, Juvic Pagunsan (PHI) 67-64-68-69
270 - Wu Ashun (CHI) 69-68-64-69
271 - Maeng Dong-seop (KOR) 67-69-70-65
272 - Kang Sung-hoon (KOR) 67-68-70-67, Hiroshi Iwata (JPN) 70-66-69-67
273 - Zhang Xin-jun (CHI) 72-67-68-66, Yoshikazu Haku (KOR) 69-66-71-67, Liang Wen-chong (CHI) 67-69-70-67, Kim Bi-o (KOR) 68-67-70-68, Song Young-han (KOR) 69-66-67-71
Selected:
279 - George Gandranata (INA) 71-69-68-71
291 - Andik Mauludin (INA) 67-74-75-75
Friday, March 28, 2014
George Gandranta And Andik Mauludin Only Local Players Making The Cut At Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship
After opening with 67s, the trio are now 13-under around Damai Indah Golf’s 6,545-metre (7,160-yard) Bumi Serpong Damai course in pursuit of their first OneAsia or Japan Tour title as the U.S. $1 million tournament is co-sanctioned by both.
Japan’s Michio Matsumura (67) is a shot behind, while Ouyang Zheng eagled the last to grab sole fifth place at 11 under with a 67. Aussie Rhein Gibson (75) -- holder of the world record low score by a professional -- was at 10 under with Chinese teenager Li Haotong.
Park, who celebrated his son’s first birthday on Friday, was delighted with his effort despite feeling his driving was not up to scratch.
“My boy is one year old today so this is for him,” said 30-year-old, whose only blemish was a bogey on the fifth. “My target today was to make a birdie on every par five and I managed to do that. My putting was also very good, so I am happy.”
Pagunsan, a winner at this course in 2007, also credited a hot putter for his blistering round.
“The greens are very different from when I won here -- they go up and down a lot more -- but I managed to put it close and that was important today,” he said.
The runner-up at this event last year, Pagunsan said he has spent more time on his physical fitness this year in a bid to go one better.
“I am in much better shape this year,” the 35-year-old said. “I hope I can get the results to show for the work.”
Playing in the afternoon, Tokimatsu set up his great round with some devastating tee shots -- he has only missed one fairway in two days -- and thinks he can go even lower.
“I’m very pleased, but for the weekend I want to do better,” he said.
The round of the day belonged to Aussie rookie Jack Wilson who fired nine birdies in his career-best 63, to offset an opening-round 73.
“I hit it good yesterday but couldn't buy a putt,” he said. ”Today was one of those rounds that is out of the box. I hit it really good again, and my local caddie came up with some great reads -- which certainly helped in making the majority of my birdies.”
With the cut at minus three, headline act Y.E. Yang, Asia’s only Major winner, just squeezed in after a second-round 67 left him at four under.
Defending champion Choi Ho-sung, however, took an early flight home after his Friday 67 saw him finish two under for the tournament, while nothing went local hero Rory Hie’s way and he closed at plus four after rounds of 75 and 73.
The best of the local players was George Gandranata (67) who is at four under under, while overnight leader Gareth Paddison (74) of New Zealand was at minus six. Andik Mauludin is the only other local player who made the cut, squeezing into the weekend after a round of 74.
Scores after the second round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation
131 - PARK Sang-hyun (KOR) 67-64, Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI) 67-64, Ryuko TOKIMATSU (JPN) 67-64
132 - Michio MATSUMURA (JPN) 65-67
133 - OUYANG Zheng (CHN) 66-67
134 - Rhein GIBSON (AUS) 69-65, LI Hao-tong (CHN) 67-67
135 - SONG Young-han (KOR) 69-66, Yoshikazu HAKU (KOR) 69-66, David SMAIL (NZL) 67-68, Kunihiro KAMII (JPN) 65-70, KIM Bi-o (KOR) 68-67, KIM Tae-hoon (KOR) 66-69, David McKENZIE (AUS) 65-70, KANG Sung-hoon (KOR) 67-68
Selected:
140 - George GANDRANATA (INA) 71-69
141 - Andik MAULUDIN (INA) 67-74
CUT
142 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA) 72-70
143 - Denny A. WIDJADYA (INA) 71 72, Asep SAEFULLOH (INA) 67-76
144 - Kurnia HERISIANDY SANTOSO (INA) 74-70
145 - Ian ANDREW (INA) 76-69
146 - Jordan IRAWAN (INA) 69-77
147 - William SJAICHUDIN (INA) 77-70, Ade SEBUL (INA) 74-73
148 - Rory HIE (INA) 75-73
149 - Bramantio ADI (INA) 71-78
150 - Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA) 77-73
151 - Jamal ONDO (INA) 74-77
152 - HARDJITO (INA) 75-77
153 - RUDIANTO (INA) 77-76, SARMILIH (INA) 79-74, ILYASSYAK (INA) 78-75, SANUSI (INA) 78-75
154 - Ramadhan ALWIE (INA) 78-76, Benny KASIADI (INA) 79-75, Asep CAPRIE (INA) 75-79
155 - Fahmi REZA (INA) 76-79
Kiwi Leads After FIrst Round Of The Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship
The left-hander could have gone even lower if not for a bogey on his last hole -- the ninth -- but holds a one-stroke lead over Japan’s Kunihiro Kamii and Australian David McKenzie, with three others a shot further back.
The U.S. $1 million tournament at at Damai Indah Golf’s stunning Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Damai course is the season opener for both OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour, with the winner grabbing a $180,000 slice of the purse.
Paddison has already shown some form this year having won on the PGA Tour of Australasia, but he was nevertheless surprised with his first-round effort.
“It was a bit out of left field, actually. I didn’t expect that of myself,” the 33-year-old said. ”I putted exceptionally well -- played really steady really -- and and all of a sudden you’re standing on the last hole at nine under. It was a pity about that last one.”
Paddison eagled the par five fifth and 18th in similar fashion, hitting driver and four iron to the green before draining putts of 20 and 35 feet respectively.
The Kiwi has been a professional for 12 years but has never won a tournament of this stature and is keen to take his game to the next level.
“I think I have made really big improvements recently thanks to a lot of work with my coach Dennis McDade,” he said. “I really want to step it up this year. I want big things to happen.”
McKenzie was also pleased with his effort on his first serious outing of the year after a bout of tendinitis.
“I played in the pro-am and didn’t think these sorts of scores were out there, but while the greens are very tricky, if you get it in the right place you can leave yourself with some make-able putts,” he said.
Kamii is also looking for his first win on a top-tier tour and could have had a share of the lead if not for a costly bogey on the relatively easy par-five 18th after putting his tee shot in the water.
“I am a bit angry about that,” said the 32-year-old from Osaka, “but I am still happy with my round.”
Several OneAsia champions kept themselves well in the hunt with excellent first rounds including Michael Hendry (67), four-time winner Liang Wenchong (67), and 2012 Order of Merit winner Kim Bi-o (68) -- who triple-bogeyed the eighth.
China’s Ouyang Zheng (66) and Li Haotong (67) also put in a great effort, while Prom Meesawat was top of the Thai contingent with a 69.
Two local players, Asep Saefulloh and Andik Mauludin, put in good rounds, with both carding a round of 67 which puts them in a share of 8th place. Jordan Irawan is 2 shots further back in a tie for 34th, with Danny A. Wdjajaya, Bramantio Adi and George Gandranata the only other local players under par after round 1.
The collaboration between OneAsia and the Japan Tour means the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by the Indonesia Port Corporation, had drawn one of the strongest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most populous nation -- headlined by Major winner Y.E. Yang, who was in the afternoon session.
Scores after the first round of the Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation:
64 - Gareth PADDISON (NZL)
65 - Kunihiro KAMII (JPN), David McKENZIE (AUS), Michio MATSUMURA (JPN)
66 - Daisuke KATAOKA (JPN), KIM Tae-hoon (KOR), OUYANG Zheng (CHN)
67 - Ryuko TOKIMATSU (JPN), LI Hao-tong (CHN), KIM Gi-whan (KOR), Michael HENDRY (NZL), David SMAIL (NZL), Asep SAEFULLOH (INA), KANG Sung-hoon (KOR), PARK Sang-hyun (KOR), Andik MAULUDIN (INA) JANG Ik-jae (KOR), Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI), MAENG Dong-seop (KOR), JANG Dong-kyu (KOR)
Selected:
69 - Jordan IRAWAN (INA)
71 - Denny A. WIDJADYA (INA), Bramantio ADI (INA), George GANDRANATA (INA)
72 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA)
74 - Ade SEBUL (INA), Jamel ONDO (INA), Kurnia HERISIANDY SANTOSO (INA)
75 - HARDJITO (INA), Asep CAPRIE (INA), Rory HIE (INA)
76 - Ian ANDREW (INA), Fahmi REZA (INA)
77 - Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA), RUDIANTO (INA), William SJAICHUDIN (INA)
78 - SANUSI (INA), Ramadhan ALWIE (INA), ILYASSYAK (INA)
79 - Benny KASIADI (INA), SARMILIH (INA)
DSQ - ABRAHAMSYAH (INA)
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Hometown Hero Rory Hie Eyes Jakarta Victory
JAKARTA, March 25 - Home favorite Rory Hie has set his sights on a first OneAsia win in 2014, and where better to do it than at this week’s season-opening Enjoy Jakarta Indonesia PGA Championship, presented by Indonesia Port Corporation.
The gifted 25-year-old came close to claiming the title when finishing second to Andre Stolz by a stroke at the 2011 edition of the tournament — he also finished joint runner-up at the Indonesia Open that year — and has shown he thrives in front of a home crowd.
“I always love playing in Indonesia,” said Hie, who won two out of three legs of the Road to the Panasonic Open series in Jakarta last year and also had a top-10 finish in the capital just last month on the Asian Development Tour.
With all the creature comforts of home and doting parents Tommy and Rita, Hie will be able to devote his full attention to the U.S. $1 million tournament taking place at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpong Damai course, which promises a set-up to test the mettle of one of the classiest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most-populous country.
Fully co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and OneAsia, the best players from both circuits will be be in attendance as well as Y.E. Yang, Asia’s only Major champion.
The winners of every Order of Merit since OneAsia’s founding in 2009 have confirmed their entries, as have multiple Japan Tour winners such as Shingo Katayama, Hiroyuki Fujita, Yuta Ikeda and Yoshinori Fujimoto.
Hie’s phenomenal showing in his rookie season in 2011 has yet to transform into a OneAsia win, but the former world top-10 amateur is determined to make the step-up.
“I want to win on OneAsia this year — as in any other year really,” he said, with just a few days to go until the March 27 - 30 tournament.
After a relatively quiet start to 2013, Hie showed his class at the Nanshan China Masters in October with a joint fourth-place finish behind Major winners Charl Schwartzel, Darren Clarke and defending champion Liang Wenchong.
A bit of his inconsistency could be attributed to flitting between contact lenses and spectacles in a bid to sharpen his focus, but Hie intends playing this season entirely in glasses while he mulls whether to undergo Lasik surgery to correct acute short-sightedness.
“I’m sticking with glasses for now,” he said. “Using transition lenses has helped me protect my eyesight so far (but) I’ll wait for the Lasik technology to upgrade so they can perform surgery on a thin cornea.”
Hie is constantly fine-tuning his game in pursuit of improvement and is confident with the feel of the new driver in his bag — as well as another surprising addition.
“I’m using the Taylormade SLDR driver now and a new Taylormade five wood,” he said. “I’ve never used a five wood before, but I feel like am getting too old to hit a two iron.
“I tinker all the time — sometimes not for the better, but golf is best learned from trial and error.
“I know what I am capable of and I would like to get better. You wont get there by staying the same.”
And his opinion of “BSD”, as locals fondly refer to Damai Indah Golf’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Damai course?
“It’s definitely a ball strikers golf course. The greens are tricky too, but I’m really looking forward it.”
Playing at home means Hie also get the chance to indulge more in his hobbies off the course.
“I’m an avid music fan — and not just one genre. My favorite band has always been Green Day, but when I am in the mood I listen to some metal from A7X (Avenged Sevenfold) and as well as rap. Eminem is my favorite rapper.
“I also love fast cars and video games.”
The gifted 25-year-old came close to claiming the title when finishing second to Andre Stolz by a stroke at the 2011 edition of the tournament — he also finished joint runner-up at the Indonesia Open that year — and has shown he thrives in front of a home crowd.
“I always love playing in Indonesia,” said Hie, who won two out of three legs of the Road to the Panasonic Open series in Jakarta last year and also had a top-10 finish in the capital just last month on the Asian Development Tour.
With all the creature comforts of home and doting parents Tommy and Rita, Hie will be able to devote his full attention to the U.S. $1 million tournament taking place at Damai Indah Golf’s Bumi Serpong Damai course, which promises a set-up to test the mettle of one of the classiest fields ever assembled in the world’s fourth most-populous country.
Fully co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and OneAsia, the best players from both circuits will be be in attendance as well as Y.E. Yang, Asia’s only Major champion.
The winners of every Order of Merit since OneAsia’s founding in 2009 have confirmed their entries, as have multiple Japan Tour winners such as Shingo Katayama, Hiroyuki Fujita, Yuta Ikeda and Yoshinori Fujimoto.
Hie’s phenomenal showing in his rookie season in 2011 has yet to transform into a OneAsia win, but the former world top-10 amateur is determined to make the step-up.
“I want to win on OneAsia this year — as in any other year really,” he said, with just a few days to go until the March 27 - 30 tournament.
After a relatively quiet start to 2013, Hie showed his class at the Nanshan China Masters in October with a joint fourth-place finish behind Major winners Charl Schwartzel, Darren Clarke and defending champion Liang Wenchong.
A bit of his inconsistency could be attributed to flitting between contact lenses and spectacles in a bid to sharpen his focus, but Hie intends playing this season entirely in glasses while he mulls whether to undergo Lasik surgery to correct acute short-sightedness.
“I’m sticking with glasses for now,” he said. “Using transition lenses has helped me protect my eyesight so far (but) I’ll wait for the Lasik technology to upgrade so they can perform surgery on a thin cornea.”
Hie is constantly fine-tuning his game in pursuit of improvement and is confident with the feel of the new driver in his bag — as well as another surprising addition.
“I’m using the Taylormade SLDR driver now and a new Taylormade five wood,” he said. “I’ve never used a five wood before, but I feel like am getting too old to hit a two iron.
“I tinker all the time — sometimes not for the better, but golf is best learned from trial and error.
“I know what I am capable of and I would like to get better. You wont get there by staying the same.”
And his opinion of “BSD”, as locals fondly refer to Damai Indah Golf’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Bumi Serpong Damai course?
“It’s definitely a ball strikers golf course. The greens are tricky too, but I’m really looking forward it.”
Playing at home means Hie also get the chance to indulge more in his hobbies off the course.
“I’m an avid music fan — and not just one genre. My favorite band has always been Green Day, but when I am in the mood I listen to some metal from A7X (Avenged Sevenfold) and as well as rap. Eminem is my favorite rapper.
“I also love fast cars and video games.”
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