Indonesia’s Rory Hie cards stunning 63, leads by two shots in Gurugram Challenge

Nuh (Haryana), March 29, 2022

Indonesia’s Rory Hie fired a stunning nine-under 63 to take a two-shot lead in round one of the Gurugram Challenge at the Classic Golf & Country Club here today.

Rory, who won his only Asian Tour title at the Classic Golf & Country Club in 2019, posted a flawless round on Tuesday which also featured birdies on the last three holes.

Ira Alido of the Philippines fired a 65 to be placed second at the event co-sanctioned by the PGTI and the Asian Development Tour (ADT).

The quartet of Amrit Lal Lubana, Tapy Ghai, Shamim Khan and Rajiv Kumar Jatiwal were bunched in tied-third at 66 along with Thailand’s Chanat Sakulpolaphaisan.

Rory Hie was off to a solid start in round one with three birdies on the front-nine. The 33-year-old Rory, consistently landing it within 10 feet of the flag, then added three more birdies between the 10th and the 13th.

Hie then signed off with a late flurry, sinking birdies on the last three holes. A great tee shot on the 16th set up an easy second shot and a subsequent short putt for him. Rory then chipped-in from an awkward position on the 17th before closing with a quality chip-putt on the 18th.

Twenty-one-year-old rookie Ira Alido’s 65 was also a bogey-free round. Alido hit his wedges well as he chipped-in on the 12th and landed most other shots within a range of six feet of the flag.

Tapy Ghai, playing at his home course, had a run of five consecutive birdies from the third to the seventh. He then had a double-bogey on the 12th but bounced back well with two birdies thereafter.

Ghai, a winner on the PGTI, said, “I was in a good birdie range on the greens through the round. In the morning, the wind was pretty less, it only got a little windy on the back-nine but I adjusted well to the change in conditions.

Amrit Lal Lubana went error-free during his 66. He made a couple of good par saves from the bunker on the second and third.

Chanat Sakulpolaphaisan took confidence from his decent tied 23rd finish at DGC last week, to produce a 66 in round one at Classic.

Shamim Khan’s round featured an eagle on the closing 18th along with five birdies and a bogey. Rajiv Kumar Jatiwal came up with eight birdies and two bogeys.

Rashid Khan, one of the pre-event favourites, carded a 67 to be tied eighth.

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