Rory Hie of Indonesia tied with Lee Westwood in the first round of inaugural Indonesian Masters
Rory McIlroy may not be participating in the Indonesian Masters but his namesake Rory Hie of Indonesia, is expected to attract bulks of local crowd, as well as some cheers, in the inaugural tournament of the Asian Tour.
Rory was under the spotlight in the first round of the championship which includes top ranking golfers like Lee Westwood and Thongchai Jaidee. Rory posted a brilliant four-under, 68 at the Royale Jakarta Golf Club, tied with Westwood, and just two shots
away from the leader Siddikur.
The 22-year-old had 15 greens in regulation and boasted a sunny disposition of his performance among the giants.
“It was a really good round. I hit the ball really good, All in all it was really good. I hit a lot of fairways and greens. I could have made a lot more putts and gone to seven or eight under. I will go work on my putting later. Hopefully I can come back
stronger tomorrow”, said Rory.
The young Indonesian pulled in five birdies and had an opportunity to make an eagle at Par-5, 12th from 12 feet, however, he missed the hole by a few inches and ended up making a birdie. Rory’s long practice sessions at the Royale Jakarta paid
off in full as he never looked to miss a shot except for a misadventure at Par-3, 15th where he stumbled with his lone bogey on the round.
Rory has also undergone a swing change with his coach and though the young golfer says that he is not expecting much out of the competition, with the home crowd on his side and playing on his happy hunting ground, he poses a formidable challenge to the more
celebrated players.
“I’m hitting it really solid and I need to maintain that. My preparations have been good. I’ve played pretty well for about four months now so I’m happy with my game now,” said a buoyant Rory.
Malaysia’s Ben Leong was also among the first round players who made headlines on day one. After his successful bid at the 2008 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters, Leong is again showing signs of great sport with his 68 in the first round.
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