Jakarta, November 28 - Rory Hie of Indonesia turned the pressure of playing on home soil into his advantage when he signed for an opening three-under-par 68 at the US$750,000 Indonesia Open on Thursday.
Hie marked his card with one eagle, three birdies and two bogeys to stay four shots back from the first round leader Gaganjeet Bhullar of India, who leads on 64 at the Pantai Indah Kapuk course at the Damai Indah Golf.
The talented Indonesian was tied in 14th position alongside Singaporean Mardan Mamat, Zaw Moe of Myanmar, Kim Gi-whan of Korea, Chan Kim of the United States, Carlos Pigem of Spain, Lionel Weber of France and Chris Rodgers of England.
Currently 89th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Hie will be looking for a good finish this week to boost his rankings as the top-60 players at the end of this season will earn full playing rights on the Asian Tour next year.
The local talent, who capped two top-20 finishes on the Asian Tour this year, soared up the leaderboard when he chipped in for eagle from 120 yards on the 16th hole.
“It was a solid round. It was fun playing with Daniel (Chopra) and Shiv (Kapur). They are both very good players. We were all playing very well. The course is in a really good condition out there,” said Hie.
As much as he hopes to make his nation proud, he is determined not to let the pressure get to him.
“There are obviously more pressure on me this week but I think that helps me to play well as compared to any other week. I was really happy with my eagle on 16. I hit a really good shot and that was pretty amazing,” said the 25-year-old, who chipped in the eagle from about 120 yards on the 16th hole.
Local amateur Jordan Irawan signed for a 70 to take a share of 30th place while another four Indonesians including Andik Mauludin and George Gandranata returned with matching 71s to tie at 43rd.
The 39th edition of Indonesia’s national championship, which has a rich and illustrious history dating back to its first edition in 1974, is the nation’s oldest golf tournament.
Fans from around the world can also watch these world class golfers in action through the live broadcast on the Asian Tour Media platform. Asian Tour Media will produce 16 hours of live coverage from the event which will be seen across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America plus further coverage and distribution generated via the highlights and magazine programmes from the event, resulting in global media exposure for all the sponsors involved in this prestigious tournament.
The 2013 Indonesia Open is supported by some of the most recognisable domestic and international brands, which include BANK BRI, Total E&P Indonesie, Japfa, PT. Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, JS Luwansa Hotel & Convention Center, Pertamina, Harum Energy, Bintang, Sequislife, Subway, Beringer, Mazda, Srixon, Loewe, Danone, Hypernet, Ricoh, White Horse and Maui Jim.
Scores after Round 1 of the Indonesia Open played at Pantai Indah Kapuk course (A - denotes amateur):
64 - Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND)
66 - Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA), Anthony KANG (USA), MO Joong kyung (KOR), Nicholas FUNG (MAS), Berry HENSON (USA), Shaaban HUSSIN (MAS)
67 - Sam BRAZEL (AUS), David LIPSKY (USA), Sujjan SINGH (IND), Prom MEESAWAT (THA), Thongchai JAIDEE (THA), Chapchai NIRAT (THA)
Selected:
68 - Rory HIE (INA)
70 - Jordan IRAWAN (A) (INA)
71 - Fahmi REZA (A) (INA), George GANDRANATA (INA), Tirto TAMARDI (A) (INA), Andik MAULUDIN (INA)
72 - Junaidi IBRAHIM (INA), Maan NASIM (INA), Hendri NASIM (INA)
73 - Johannes DERMAWAN (INA), Indra HERMAWAN (INA)
74 - Denny A. WIJAYA (INA), William SJAICHUDIN (A) (INA)
75 - Nasin SURACHMAN (INA), Jamel ONDO (INA), Rinaldi ADIYANDONO (INA), Ilyasyak (INA), K. Soewarno (INA), Kevin C. AKHBAR (A) (INA)
76 - Fadhli R. SOETARSO (A) (INA)
77 - Asep SUGANDA (INA), Aria KAMSURI (INA)
79 - Ian ANDREW (INA)
80 - Theodore RAHARDJA (A) (INA), Joshua Andrew WIRAWAN (A) (INA), Asep SAEFULLOH (INA), Benny KASIADI (INA)
81 - Kurnia Herisiandy SANTOSO (INA), Ujang ZAREM (A) (INA)
86 - S Syukrizal (A) (INA)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment