Jin Jeong: Moving On Up
BY Anthony Powter | 14 Jun 2010
Jin Jeong tees it up in the 115th British Amateur Championship this week at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs against one of the strongest international fields ever assembled as players from the USA, Europe, South Africa and Australasia compete against Europe’s best for one of the world’s most coveted amateur titles.
It’s the Melbourne based South Korean’s first European and second US tour and the world number 7 is looking towards making his move during the next few months in the main amateur events in the UK and the US.
With two national trial event wins this Australian season at the Tasmanian Open and Riversdale Cup, as well as two runner-up finishes with the Australian Amateur Medal and at the Keperra Bowl, Jeong is a constant threat in any event he enters both locally and abroad.
Earlier in the year following the New Zealand Amateur Championship the 21-year-old broke for the first time into the world’s top-10 ranking, a goal Jeong set twelve months ago along with a view towards securing a major national tile. He’s already secured his first objective and Jeong is eager to achieve the second this week at the British Amateur.
Since arriving in the UK earlier this month Jeong has worked hard on this game to adapt to the variances of links golf, which is a format he’s never experienced before.
“This is my first visit to the UK and it’s certainly being an experience for me,” said Jeong following a practice round at Murifield this week.
The change over has taken some time, as well as some experimentation, but Jeong is leading into this week’s championship feeling more confident playing the different layouts and with his ability to adapt his game to the creativity associated with pure links golf.
“It was very different from Australia.”
“I was ok with the wind at St Andrews, but I was struggling around the greens. I couldn’t use normal chip shots around the greens. This week I’ve worked hard on my short game and are looking forward to playing my first British Amateur.”
Despite his lack of experience with links golf Jeong, who made the cut in two Asian Tour events this season, certainly has the game to win an event like the British Amateur.
At home in Australia this season Jeong was a driving force in all the National Trial events and with his two National Trial wins aside, also secured eight top-10 finishes from nine starts.
Jeong opened his 2010 UK campaign with a tied 7th finish at the Scottish Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Glasgow Gailes Links a fortnight ago, yet missed the cut last week at the St Andrews Links Trophy.
“I played very ordinary at St Andrews,” he says.
“I using some different clubs and trying to hit different shots out there. It’s an adjustment process for me, but I’m getting used to it. I am hitting it better than last week and putting better as well. I feel like I’m finally getting ready to play here.”
Asked what he’ll take away from the week at St Andrews, Jeong said, “I’m going to feel a lot more comfortable being out there now and that’s a positive thing for your confidence.”
You have to be confident to pull off a major win like the British Amateur and Jeong certainly has an aura of unassuming ability to get the job done, as those close to the Waverley club player in Victoria know.
Jeong in neither streaky good or streaky bad, rather he’s simply consistent on the course. He can play a variety of shots and also drives the ball well. Not overly long off the tee, but he’s certainly accurate and that leads to greens in regulation and with that birdie opportunities. For Jeong it’s simply a matter of balance and getting his timing right with the UK layouts and the low number as well as the consistency will certainly follow.
“It was an awesome week up at St Andrews,” said Jeong.
“Obviously not the tournament that I wanted. I didn’t hit as many greens as I would like to, but I just had a lot of fun. I am hitting better than last week and putting better as well. This championship should be a great challenge and we’ll see how things go out there.”
Overall, though, the positives will out weight any negatives and Jeong is ready to test his game at Muirfield and North Berwick golf clubs once the British Amateur Championship gets underway this week. Should Jeong makes the top 64 on Wednesday, he’ll certainly take some stopping and his experience will also be a playing factor against the rest of the field.
A place at the Open Championship and the 2011 Masters Tournament are on offer for the 2010 British Amateur Champion.
Jeong along with 287 contestants are aware of the stakes at Murifield and know that the British Amateur is the perfect place to make their move and in Jeong’s case, his timing could not be better.
