Published>Fri, Jul 16 10 01:36 AM
The old and the new were represented in equal measure as U.S. PGA champion Yang Yong-eun and amateur Jin Jeong flew the South Korean flag high in the first round of the 150th anniversary British Open.
Jin, 20, led the way with an early 68 on Thursday that included a birdie hat-trick from the fourth before 38-year-old Yang went one better with a bogey-free, five-under effort.
Heading into the year's third major, Yang was low on confidence after missing his last three cuts but he found a missing link on the eve of the tournament.
"I had a breakthrough in practice on Wednesday when I regained the form I had lost for a couple of months," he said after finishing four strokes behind leader Rory McIlroy.
"Basically it's the same kind of swing I used when I had my success last year. I think I have found it again," added Asia's first male major winner.
Knowing the St Andrews greens would be a lot slower than the ones he is used to on the U.S. PGA Tour, Yang also dug out an old putter.
"I went back to my two-ball putter," he said. "I changed it as I knew it would play better on the slower greens."
Jin continued the fledgling love affair with Scotland that began at Muirfield last month when he became the first Asian to win the British amateur championship.
"I am happy with the way I played my round today," said the youngster. "Yes, I was a bit nervous but I feel as though I handled the nerves really well and hopefully I can do that the next few days."
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