Rory shot a 72 today for a total of 65-73-72–210, taking the fourth place overall.

Heading into the final round of the Thunderbird Invitational, Rory shares a three-way tie for the lead with Tim McKenney and Richard Lee. Rory encountered some troubles today, which included misplacing his 6-iron, and shot a 73 for a total of 65-73–138. He will be teeing off tomorrow in the final group at 9:12AM.

Rory shot 7 under par (65) today at the first round of the AJGA Thunderbird International, recording a total of 10 birdies, taking into account the 2-stroke penalty that he faced (see below for details). Without the penalty, Rory would have had 11 birdies and broken the course record by shooting a 63 (the course record of Grayhawk GC being 64).

Previous updates throughout the round:

Rory is currently leading the AJGA Thunderbird International by two strokes, shooting 6 under par through the 14th hole.

Snapshot taken from AJGA’s LIVE Scoring

[Edit] On the 15th hole (Hole #6), Rory was penalized two strokes under Rule 15-3b for mistakenly hitting another player’s ball (the other player also hit Rory’s ball by mistake). However he strived for the hole and chipped-in for a birdie (which, with the two strokes penalty, becomes a bogey) and still retains his position with a one stroke lead (5-under).

[Edit] Rory makes a comeback with a birdie in the 16th hole (Hole #7) and another birdie in the 17th hole (Hole #8). Falling short of another birdie in the 18th hole (Hole #9) by mere inches, he finished the round with a 7-under par 65.

Snapshot

Taken from AJGA.org:

HIE EN FUEGO IN THE DESERT AT THUNDERBIRD INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rory Hie of Lakewood, Calif., was as hot as the desert sun during the first round of the Thunderbird International Junior on Saturday, firing a 7-under-par 65 to take a three-shot lead in the Boys Division.

Hie, who began on No. 10, got off to a good start with back-to-back 20-foot birdie putts on Nos. 11 and 12. His bad break came on No. 6 when he hit the wrong ball, incurred a two-stroke penalty, and ended up with a bogey.

“I had a pretty good round today,” the 17-year Rolex Junior All-American said. “I committed to every shot and got lucky with a couple of shots.”

Hie had a career-best 10 birdies with three bogeys and nines of 34-31.

“Ten birdies is a dream come true for me,” Hie said. “I saw the ball going in every hole and it did. I noticed a lot of players under par on the leaderboards, so I just tried not to give up shots to the field.”

A quote from Golfweek:

“… It may have even got a bit more confusing Saturday when Rory Hie, Golfweek’s No. 1 junior at one point last summer, and Kevin Tway hit each other’s balls from the sixth fairway and were both penalized two strokes. (Amazingly, Hie - who blamed the mistake on being “brain dead” - still shot 65 to take the first-round lead by three shots, while Tway, the reigning U.S. Junior champion, shot 76.)”

Rory shot a bogey-free, 6-under 66 in today’s SCGA CIF Tournament, claiming the first place spot at the Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs, CA.

Taken from the LA Times on May 23, 2006:

Cerritos’ Hie Earns Section Golf Title
Peter Yoon, From Times Staff Reports
May 23, 2006

Rory Hie of Cerritos shot six-under-par 66 and won the Southern Section individual golf championship Monday at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs.

Hie, a senior, was two shots better than defending champion Rickie Fowler of Murrieta Valley. Tom Whitney of La Quinta, Ross Hutchason of Apple Valley and Doug Fortner of Santa Ana Foothill tied for third at 69.

The top 28 finishers advance to the Southern California Regional championships June 1 at the SCGA Golf Course in Murietta.

Rory shot a 5-under 67 at the Ironwood Country Club to receive the Medalist honors for the US Open local qualifier. See results here.

He will compete in the Sectional Qualifying on June 5, 2006, which will take place at Lake Merced G.C. in Daly City, CA.

Taken from The Desert Sun:

Rory Hie, a 17-year-old senior at Cerritos High School in Lakewood, was medalist with a 67, including seven birdies.

“I got lucky on the greens today,” Hie said of the firm, fast putting surfaces on the South Course. “I tried to lag my long putts, and some of them actually fell in. I also gave away a lot of shots today. But I got lucky on a few shots, so it kind of evens out.”