Indonesian Rory set for Challenge Tour

Posted on November 20, 2008 by Ancora Sports | Categories: News | link

Rory Hie missed out on the European Tour, but his success in making it to the final stages of the Qualifying School for the tour has been hailed as an impressive achievement never equaled by an Indonesian golfer before.

The 2008 Qualifying School which concluded on Tuesday, gave 32 top players berths in the European Tour and a possible shot at the lucrative season-closing Dubai World Championship next November.

While Rory finished short of the shortlist, the competition saw the 21-year-old prove his mettle against the rest of the world.

Rory’s European trip came one month after he had won the Mercedes-Benz Championship, part of the ASEAN Tour series, in his pro debut at the Imperial Golf Club in Tangerang.

This was his second tournament in Indonesia, following his participation (then as an amateur) in the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational, in August.

“At his current level of performance, Rory is making himself a good role model for Indonesia’s other young golfers. He plays above the average here,” Indonesian Professional Golf Association secretary-general Agus Triyono said.

His impressive run has drawn sponsorship from Ancora Sports, which, according to Ancora CEO Patrick Young, tied the golfer to a three-year deal.

“The good thing about Rory is he can shoot low numbers … 65. He can beat the world’s best, like Anthony Kim,” Young said during a recent media briefing.

“He was one of only two Asian players in the final along with Chinnarat Phadungsil from Thailand. No players from Korea, none from Japan,” Young added.

The final stages of Qualifying School, which began Nov. 13, featured 156 players at the PGA Golf de Catalunya, Spain,

Rory may now be ruing his missed opportunity at qualifying for the European Tour, especially after his impressive late charge in the first four rounds.

Rory had been on par after rounds of 71, 72 and 73 before regrouping to card five under on 67 to make a cut among 80 players, but then fell to a 73 and 75 to end up in 62nd position.

However, he still has an opportunity to sharpen his skills further against strong contenders since he is entitled to the Challenge Tour, widely regarded as a valuable stepping stone before the European Tour.

In 2007, the European Challenge Tour incorporated 32 tournaments in 23 countries with prize funds totaling 5,279,935 euro, europeantour.com claims.

And Rory should not lack tournaments to hone his skills further while vying for a portion of prizes, a chance an Indonesian golfer has rarely seen.

With tournaments at home far from an international standard, Agus said, there were difficult prospects for Indonesian golfers competing against foreigners.

“Sponsors come and go,” Agus said, adding that the number of tournaments in Indonesia had dropped from 10 in 2007, to 6 this year.

“Therefore, Rory is lucky to be able to compete overseas,” he said.

Ancora Group head Gita Wirjawan said positively, “I believe he (Rory) can be a champion in a big tournament within five years.”