From usctrojans.com:
The No. 3 USC men’s golf team won its third tournament in its last four events while sophomore Rory Hie won his second tournament of the season and became Troy’s third individual winner in the past four starts on the final day of the U.S. Intercollegiate Championships at the Stanford G.C. in Palo Alto, Calif., on Sunday (April 20).
The Trojans, in their regular-season finale, finished at 12-under 828 (266-287-275), 13 strokes ahead of host Stanford (1-over 841-279-293-269). Cal and UCLA tied for third (857). USC’s final round was the second lowest of the day.
Hie, who … was named this week a semifinalist for The Ben Hogan Award honoring the nation’s best collegiate golfer, sunk five more birdies to give him 15 for the 54-hole event. He finished at 10-under 200 (62-71-67). It was his second win of the season, the first coming at the UNLV Southern Highlands Collegiate five weeks ago.
From golfweek.com:
Hie, USC dominate U.S. Collegiate
Blame sophomore Rory Hie (pictured) and his USC teammates for draining the excitement out of the final round of the U.S. Collegiate. Hie and USC both cruised to large victories Sunday.
STANFORD, Calif. – The final round of the U.S. Collegiate proved to be about as exciting as watching paint dry, which was perfectly fine with USC coach Chris Zambri.
Sophomore Rory Hie and the Trojans both carried large leads heading into the final 18 holes, and they never let up. Hie eventually won by eight shots, also helping his team to a 13-shot victory.
And those totals were the closest they had been all day.
The Trojans closed with a 5-under-par 275 to finish at 12-under 828. Host team Stanford, with the best round of the day at 11-under 269, was next at 841 while California and UCLA finiahsed a distant third at 17-over 857.
“We played great today, but USC just had an insurmountable lead and never came close to faltering,” said Stanford coach Conrad Ray.
“They definitely showed why they are one of the top teams in the country.”
Hie, who opened the tournament with a competitive course-record 62, shot a closing 3-under 67 and finished at 10-under 200…
USC started the final round with a 14-shot lead over Stanford and the Trojans never had to break a sweat. By the halfway point, they led by 17.
“We started out great (14-under 266 the first round) and never let up which I’m really proud of,” said Zambri. “I feel the guys want to prove something everytime they tee it up. I think they did that here.”
It was USC’s third win of the spring to go with a victory in its own tournament the one at the U.S. Collegiate where nine of the top 11 teams in the country were featured.
“The win in Georgia (U.S. Collegiate) was huge because of the quality of the field, but this one is really big because it gives us a lot of confidence and momentum going into the post-season (Pac-10 Championship and NCAA regionals). There’s no doubt these guys feel they are one of the best teams in the country.”
…But it was Hie who attracted the most attention. Starting with his 62, he added a 71 — third best score of a windy and cold second round — and finished it off with a four-birdie, one-bogey closing round.
“This is by far my best tournament,” said Hie, who earlier this spring won UNLV’s Southern Highlands Intercollegiate. “The 62, that was the best ball striking round I’ve ever had. I shot 62 in Hawaii this spring and it was a par-70 as well, but the conditions were perfect. This was a much more difficult course and the conditions were a lot tougher.
“I knew my game was good enough to win in college and to shoot low scores,” said Hie, who now has three career college victories. “It was just a matter of executing good golf shots. I also think I’ve matured a lot since starting college and I’m beginning to feel more and more comfortable out here.”
Zambri had only praise for his “other” sophomore star.
“He is a great swinger of the golf club,” Zambri said. “His short game is starting to catch up to his long game and his confidence keeps getting higher and higher. He works harder than everybody else and is starting to really understand what it takes to be successful. His game is world class and as his confidence continues to grow it will only get better.”
From golfweek.com:
Hie’s 62 leads USC at U.S. Intercollegiate
STANFORD, Calif. – Sparked by a first-round 8-under 62 from Rory Hie, USC surged into the lead Saturday at the U.S. Intercollegiate at Stanford Golf Course.
The Trojans followed a first-round 14-under 266 with an 8-over 288 during a windy and cold afternoon second round to stand at 6-under 554. Although USC, No. 5 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, was 22 shots higher in the afternoon, it still posted the lowest score among the 17 teams.
Host Stanford, No. 11, is a distant second, 18 shots back, at 12-over 572 after rounds of 279-293, while No. 3 UCLA is at 574 and California is 577.
Hie, a junior, also had a toug time in second round conditions, but shot 1-over 71 and leads at 7-under 133.
Much like his team, Hie takes a comfortable lead into Sunday’s final 18 holes, standing six shots clear of teammate Tom Glissmeyer.
…
“The guys played great in the morning and, while the scores may not show it, probably played better in the afternoon considering the conditions,” said USC coach Chris Zambri. “I think they really showed how tough they can be this afternoon.
“Rory had a fantastic day, especially his first round, but when you look at Tom and Jamie and what they did, you know it was a team effort.”
Hie’s opening round 62 was one stroke off the course record, shot only a few weeks earlier by Stanford senior Rob Grube during a practice round with teammates.
Beginning on the second hole in the shotgun start, Hie made birdie then closed the front side with three consecutive birdies. On the back side he added birdies at Nos. 11, 13 and 16, and closed out the round with a birdie at the opening hole. That gave him a four-shot lead over Glissmeyer, who had a five-birdie, one-bogey 66.
In the afternoon, Hie started with eight consecutive pars before making his first bogey of the tournament at No. 12.
“Everything was going right in the morning,” Hie said. “I really hit it solid and had my putter going. Conditions got a lot tougher in the afternoon. I made some bogeys, but I’m proud of the way I hung in there. I think 1 over in the afternoon was a pretty good score.”
From cstv.com:
Hie, USC Dominating Field At U.S. Intercollegiate
Sophomore Rory Hie fired his second 62 of the season to tie his school record and lead the No. 3 USC men’s golf team to first place after 36 holes of the U.S. Intercollegiate Championships at the Stanford G.C. in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday (April 19).
The Trojans, in their regular-season finale, fired a blistering 14-under 266 first round to take a commanding lead and maintained the large advantage after two rounds. Heading into Sunday’s final 18 holes, USC is at 6-under 554 (266-288), 18 shots ahead of second-place and host Stanford (566). Though turning in an 8-over par effort in the second round, it was still the second lowest team total of the second 18 holes.
Hie … was named this week a semifinalist for The Ben Hogan Award honoring the nation’s best collegiate golfer, knocked in eight birdies for an 8-under effort on the par-70 course.
He opened his round, which began on the second hole, with a birdie en route to 4-under on both halves of his first round. The Lakewood, Calif., native had a more modest second round, but still leads the tournament at 7-under 133 (62-71).
From cstv.com:
Rory Hie is among 10 semifinalists for the 2008 The Ben Hogan Award, Chesapeake Energy, in association with Colonial Country Club, The Friends of Golf (FOG) and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), announced on Wednesday.
Among the most prestigious award in men’s college golf, The Hogan is presented annually to the top men’s NCAA Division I, II or III, NAIA or junior college golfer taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the last 12 months.
The Hogan Award finalists will be announced on May 7 and invited to Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, for the Hogan Award presentation on the evening of May 18. The 1964 U.S. Open winner and former CBS golf analyst Ken Venturi will be the keynote speaker.
Hie, All-Pac-10 second team as a freshman, is averaging 72.00 strokes per round, second on the team. Hie won his second collegiate title in March, a win at the UNLV Southern Highlands Collegiate, where he tied for first and won a three-man playoff with a birdie on the first hole. He is tied for team-high with five top 10 finishes, including his win, a tie for fifth at the UH Hilo Invitational, a tie for sixth at the Ping/Golfweek Fall Preview and ties for ninth at the CordeValle Collegiate and the USC Collegiate. Hie has five rounds in the 60s, including a USC record 62 in the second round of the UH Hilo Invitational (on a 70 par course). The previous USC record was 63. Hie is on “Watch List” for the 2008 Nicklaus Award, which honors the top college player in the nation. Hie was tabbed as the Pac-10’s Player of the Month for March 2008. He won the honor in March 2007 as well.
