Jin Jeong

Player Profile: Jin Jeong

On Sunday South Korea’s Jin Jeong won his first European Tour title at the co-sanctioned Perth International. This week’s player profile introduces golf fans to this talented young champion as he joins the European winners’ circle.

23-year-old Jeong was born and raised in Busan, South Korea. At the age of 16 he moved to Melbourne, Australia and enjoyed a successful amateur golf career during his late teens and early twenties.

Jin’s first victory came in 2008 when he won the Port Phillip Amateur. Since then, he has weathered the challenges of competitive golf and refined his technique on the amateur circuit in Australia and overseas. By 2010, Jin was the world’s top-ranked amateur, with a victory at The Amateur Championship, where he became the tournament’s first-ever Asian winner. Jin also won the Riversdale Cup and the Boroondara Cup during the 2010 season.

Following a 14-place finish at the 2010 Open Championship, Jin took the decision to turn professional at the start of the 2011 season. After a solid first year in professional golf, he qualified for the PGA Tour of Australasia’s 2012 season. As he adapted to the challenges of professional golf, Jin carded several strong finishes on his home circuit, and when the opportunity arose to play in Europe, he was quick to seize it.

In 2012, Jin won an exemption to play at certain Challenge Tour events this season. After settling into the pace of European golf, the former top-ranked amateur had his first taste of victory on Sunday when he beat England’s Ross Fisher to win the Perth International.

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