Jin Jeong cruises to British Am win

BY Anthony Powter | World Amateur Mens Tour | 2010 British Amateur Championship | Grand Final | 20 Jun 2010

Jin Jeong captured a 5&4 win over Scotland’s James Byrne in the 36-hole final at the British Amateur Championship today at Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland.

Listen to our recent interview with Jin Jeong

Jeong, 20, who has lived in Melbourne for the past three years since moving from South Korea, led 2-up following the morning 18 after Byrne had established an early 2-up lead in the opening five holes. Jeong made his move in the middle of the front nine of the second 18. After they halved the first four holes of the second 18, Jeong nailed in three straight birdie putts from the fifth to push his lead to 5-up.

Jeong then closed out his first international win with a birdie on the 32nd hole. It was his 10th birdie of the day.

Earlier in the year following the New Zealand Amateur Championship, Jeong for the first time broke into the world’s top-10 ranking, a goal he set twelve months ago along with securing a major national tile.

Following today’s win at the British Amateur, Jeong has achieved both his main goals and receives as an added spoil of being the 2010 British Amateur Champion starts at the Open Championship at St Andrews and at the 2011 Masters Tournament, providing he remains an amateur.

The week in East Lothian brings to a end what has been a fantastic maiden three-week tour to the UK for Jeong.

“I always hoped that my first Major that I was able to play in would be The Open,” said Jeong following today’s win.

“Now I can play at St Andrews. It means everything. It’s a dream come true winning the British Amateur, like it is the world’s biggest amateur event and I’ve won it.”

Jeong last month led Waverley to their first Victorian Division 1 Major Pennant Flag after defeating 2006 winners, Kingswood, and went to the UK unsure what he’d be experiencing there on the golf course. He was optimistic that he would be competitive despite not experienced playing links golf or ever visited the UK before.

“I’ve never played links golf before,” he said to me last month during the Victorian Pennant final at Keysborough Golf Club.

“I better learn a few shots before I get there. I hear that the courses are tough and you have to hit it knock down shots into the greens.”

Jeong had at the time just returned from the Keperra Bowl with a runner-up finish to his credit and was feeling confident with his game. A justified belief given his stellar summer results both in Australia and Asia.

His form during the 2009-10 season had been impressive with winning two national trial event titles and numerous top-10 finishes in main Australian amateur events. Jeong also had made the cut in two Asian Tour events and ventured into the world’s top-10 for the first time.

He was looking forward to touring the UK and had moved to playing new clubs when he arrived in Scotland in early June.

“I’m using some different clubs and trying to hit different shots out there,” said Jeong following the St Andrews Links Trophy where he narrowly missed the cut.

He was disappointed with himself with the result there and went about working on his game to prepare for the British Amateur with vigour and determination. Jeong sent hours on the range at Muirfield getting the feel for the new clubs and to the links conditions.

The process was working and Jeong’s confidence with his new environment and new bats was on the way up after he’d opened strongly with a 1-under-par 70 at Muirfield and followed that with a second round, 71, at North Berwick to make the top-64 for match-play with a score of 1-under-par and a tied 27th place finish.

“It’s an adjustment process for me as it is different to Australia, but I’m getting used to it,” he said last Tuesday.

If there is one trait Jeong possesses it’s his capacity to adapt to the variances of golf and this was no more evident that what he showed the golfing fraternity this week here at Muirfield.

Once the glove is on Jeong can get into the focus on the task at hand under circumstances where others would have faltered, particularly when the pressure is on like it is with events such as the British Amateur.

“I was quite nervous all week, especially before today, but managed to get my game going,” said Jeong following the presentation ceremony this evening.

“I got off to a slow start but managed to quickly get back into the match with some good putting. I went out there today to just play to my game plan and it worked for me.”

Jeong’s best international finish prior to winning the British Amateur Championship title was a tied 3rd at the 2009 Cardinal Amateur in North Carolina, USA. On the back of this week’s results alone Jeong’s world ranking has moved from seven to be currently the world’s number 2 ranked amateur.

During the week Jeong accounted for a number of ’links’ specialist including his opponent in today’s final in Scotland’s, James Byrne, who was attempting to become the first Scot to win the Amateur Championship on home soil since Stuart Wilson won at St Andrews in 2004.

Jeong’s victories on road to the final included defeating 2010 Scottish Open Stroke Play Champion, France’s Romain Wattel, 4&3, in Thursday’s morning 3rd round, and 2009 Boys Amateur Champion, Tom Lewis, 1-up in Thursday’s afternoon’s 4th round.

Jeong then accounted for Northern Ireland’s Lytham Trophy winner Paul Cutler, 3&2, in Friday’s quarter-final and was then 2-under-par in overwhelming Matthew Nixon, the former British Boys champion from Lancashire, 5&4, in the afternoon’s semi-final.

“I was getting use to the course with every round and playing the variety of shots that you need to play,” he says.

Yet during today’s final it was his putter which delivered the cutting blow over Byrne as Jeong nailed a number of 30-foot putts during critical stages of the final to win holes. Jeong’s putter was simply white hot and it never let the Scot into the final.

“I’ve never putted better than what I did out there today.”

“This was my first British Amateur and I came this week really wanting to win an event like this. This title is very special for me.”

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 following his win at the British Amateur has certainly established himself as a world class amateur.

America now awaits but before zoning in on the US Amateur in August and other main US events leading up to the US Amateur, Jeong will be returning to the Home of Golf, St Andrews, as he lives the dream of playing in his first Major.

The world has become Jeong’s oyster and winning the British Amateur Championship is a befitting achievement for a talented young man who calls Waverley Golf Club, in south eastern Melbourne home.

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