ASU golfer Byrne falls one round short of masters, British Open exemption
Arizona State men’s golfer James Byrne fell just short of earning an exemption to both the British Open and the 2011 Masters, after dropping his match to South Korea’s Jin Jeong at the 2010 British Amateur. Tenth-ranked Song becomes the first-ever Asian winner of the British Amateur, besting the Sun Devil 5&4 in match play.
Byrne, a native of Banchory, Scotland, started out strong early in match play with a two-hole lead over Jeong through six. However, after tying things up, Jeong went ahead on the 16th hole and never looked back.
Byrne, who will start his senior season this fall, competed in nine events for Arizona State. He shot a season-low 68 in both the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and the U.S. Intercollegiate.
After shooting a 68 and a 69 in two rounds of stroke play to qualify for the match play portion of the British Amateur, Byrne defeated five players en route to his finals showdown with Jeong.
Click HERE for more information about the 2010 British Amateur.