Rory won the 2011 Tangshan China PGA Championship

Rory shot a final round of 65 (7-under) to win the championship by 7 shots, with a total of 15 under par. He finished strong by birdieing the last 3 holes. The runner up South Korean finished at a total of 8 under par.

His win also serves as a birthday present as Rory turned 23 years old on September 1.

China PGA Championship Tour is a professional golf tournament in China Golf Association, with a prize money of US$200,000. The tournament was attended by 132 participants from China, Korea, Thailand, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Japan, among others.

Tournament Coverage:

Tangshan turns to be an intense fight to the last by the Indonesian Chinese player Rory Hie as he turned 23 years old just this week. Rory birdied the last three holes in Caofeidian Wetlands International Golf Club.

Rory Hie shot a final round 65 on Sunday, 7 under par, for a total of 273 (68-71-69-65, 15-under) to win the championship. South Korea’s Baek Joo Yeob shot 70 for a total of 280, in sole 2nd place. Sichuan player Huang Mingjie shot a final round 66 to climb to 3rd place along with CJ Gatto of the United States.

Starting the final round, Rory Hie was leading by 2 over Baek Joo Yeob, but the South Korean birdied the first four holes and Rory stumbled on a bogey. “Today’s start was difficult, because Yeob had birdied 5 of the first 6 holes, while I only shot 1-under.”

However, the 3rd hole bogey is Rory’s only bogey today. He birdied the par-5 4th and 9th hole. Yeob, on the other hand, bogeyed the 8th hole. As they entered the back nine, both of them were at 10-under par.

On the par four 10th hole, Rory pumped in a 20-foot birdie, and another one on the par four 13th, while Yeob bogeyed.

With three holes left, it was still possible for Yeob to make a comeback, since there were two par 5’s in the last three holes. At the par-5 16th hole, Rory hit the green and sank a 6-foot birdie putt. Yeob’s 4-foot birdie putt, on the other hand, lipped out. By that time Rory was already leading by 4 and they both knew the outcome was almost certain.

Rory only needed to avoid making mistakes in the next holes, but he did one better. He sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the part-3 17th, and a 10-footer on the 18th hole for another birdie.

Yeob made another bogey on the 18th hole, which had no effect since the leader was already far ahead.

Rory Hie started to learn golf when he was 7-8 years old. He had just turned 23 years old on Thursday, and was glad to receive this birthday gift. “This victory makes me feel very proud, and I know I will make my father very proud. It’s quite remarkable for me, especially because it was a hard fight to win the championship against strong competitors and I lost some shots in the beginning, but then I came back to finish the race. I had eight birdies and only one bogey today.”

“My father played a key role in this victory. He was my caddy and helped me read the lines, encourage me, and calm me down. I am pleased to win in China.”

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