ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (July 18, 2010)--British Amateur champion Jin Jeong of Korea eagled the final hole for a 72 and a 4-under-par 284 total to finish tied for 14th at the British Open. Jeong won the silver medal as the low amateur--in fact, he was the only amateur to make the cut.
Jeong had a good chance to earn an exemption to the 2011 British Open Championship at Royal St. George's. He needed to shoot two shots lower to finish inside the top 10 and earn the exemption. But given his fast rise to the top of the amateur game, and the confidence he surely must have gained this week, he should have plenty of chances to compete in future major championships.
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ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND (July 17, 2010)--After opening with rounds of 68-70, British Amateur champion Jin Jeong of Korea found himself in a tie for third heading into round 3. Paired with Alejandro Canizares of Spain in the third-to-last group, Jeong eagled the 5th to reach 7-under and regain third place, but bogeys on 7, 9, 16, and 17 (with a visit to the Road Bunker) sent him sliding back down the leader board.
Jeong hit a huge drive on the 357-yard 18th that scampered through the Valley of Sin and just past the hole for a very good eagle chance, but he couldn't convert and had to settle for a birdie 3 and a round of 74.
Jeong now finds himself in a tie for 12th place on 4-under. Having already clinched the silver medal as low amateur (no other ams made the cut), Jeong has a good chance to earn an exemption into next year's British Open at Royal St. George's. For that, he needs to finish inside the top 10.
Whatever the outcome, Jeong has to be beaming with confidence, performing so well on such a big stage after establishing himself as the world's top amateur with 3 big amateur wins including the British Amateur at Muirfield.
Jin Jeong is currently the #1 ranked golfer in the
Golfweek/amateurgolf.com Player Rankings.
ABOUT THE British Open
The most coveted trophy in the game and one
of the most iconic in all of sport: more
commonly referred to as the Claret Jug.
Within
minutes of winning the British Open, the
"Champion Golfer of the Year" gets his name
engraved on that cup, and a place in golfing
history.
Amateurs have played an
important role in the tournament over the
years, with players like Sergio Garcia, Justin
Rose, and more recently Alfie Plant stepping
into the international limelight with their
golfing
performances.
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