PERTH INTERNATIONAL: Jeong's win a life changer

Jin Jeong's life is set to change forever, writes Brendan James, after he calmly two-putted to win the Perth International in a sudden death play-off.

After the opening hole of the final round of the ISPS Handa Perth International Jin Jeong could have been forgiven for thinking he had squandered his chances of winning.

But the South Korean-born, Melbourne based pro is made of tougher stuff than that. He fought his way back into the tournament, grabbed a share of the lead late in day and then snatched the title with a par at the first hole of a sudden death play-off against England’s Ross Fisher.

Jeong, who was ranked No.1066 in the world before this event, played the final round like a man who had nothing to lose and everything to gain. And, in victory, he has gained more than just the biggest cheque of his short professional career (A$345,000) he also earns a two-year exemption onto the European Tour and a host of other benefits. In short, this win has changed his life.

Ross Fisher chips from the back of the 18th green during the play-off. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

“This means a lot,” Jeong said just moments after accepting the trophy. “I was waiting for something like this to happen for a long time.

“I haven't held a trophy for a long time but it's a good one to hold.”

“I was going to go to the Q‑School in Europe but now I don't have to do that. And I knew if I win this, I would have status on The European Tour for two years, so I was working really hard to play well this week. I knew this course pretty well from last year. So, yeah, I think all the hard work, pretty happy about it.”

Starting the round one shot behind 54-hole leader Brody Ninyette, Jeong had an horrendous four-putt double bogey at the short par-4 1^st hole. A lesser player might have packed it in mentally.

“The 1^st hole was little bit disappointing but still, this course is pretty tough, so six can be on your scorecard pretty easily,” he said. “I just tried to calm myself down and focus on what I can do from there. And yeah, I think I did a pretty good job after that.

Jin Jeong lines up his birdie putt on the first hole of the play-off. He rolled this putt down to a few feet to ensure a par, and the win. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

But the 23-year-old, who has played mainly US mini Tours and the European Challenge Tour since turning pro in 2011, settled back into the task and birdies at the 4^th and 5^th holes regained those dropped shots

He was still even with the card for the day, and three shots behind leader Ninyette, with nine holes to play.

Three more birdies followed. He snared one at the uphill par-5 11^th and then made a remarkable chip-in at the short par-3 12^th for another. His most important birdie of the day came at the par-5 15^th, where he had previously made two bogies during tournament. He made no mistakes this time and it helped him grab a share of the lead at 10 under along with Ninyette, the young West Australian looking for his first Tour victory.

The pair were then joined by England’s Ross Fisher, playing in the third last group, who made a fantastic birdie on the long par-3 17^th and then set the clubhouse mark at 10 under with a par at the 72^nd hole.

Jeong shakes hands with Fisher (R) after defeating him in the play-off. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Jeong played with great composure beyond his years over the closing three holes and he joined Fisher in the clubhouse at 10 under.

Conversely, Ninyette, who appeared completely in control for most of the final round, made some costly mistakes over the final holes, mistakes he will certainly learn from.

After making bogey at the 13^th, he used driver from the tee at the short par-4 14^th in an attempt to drive the green. Instead, he found the trees and while he still found the putting surface with his approach shot it could easily have been another bogey. Another bogey did follow at the 16^th, which saw him drop one shot back of Fisher and Jeong. He then needed to make a birdie on the final hole to join the play-off, but his long approach fell well short of the ideal shot and finished in front of the undulating green leaving a near impossible chip for birdie. He couldn’t make the shot and then two-putted for bogey, which saw him back into a tie for third with England’s Danny Willett and young NSW pro Dimi Papadatos, who wrapped up his Perth International debut with a fine four under 68.

Fisher, a four-time winner on the European Tour, was the obvious favourite in the play-off against Jeong, the British Amateur champion of 2010, whose biggest payday to date was $13,759 for a fifth place finish at the 2012 New Zealand PGA.

But that favouritism swung back Jeong’s way when Fisher’s approach to the 18^th ran through the back of the green to leave a treacherous chip, while Jeong’s long approach nestled about 25 feet from the hole but on the same tier as the flag. When Fisher’s chip stopped 12-foot short of the hole, Jeong was in the driver’s seat and his birdie putt, while it finished nearly 3 feet short, was always a straightforward conversion. When Fisher rolled his putt by, Jeong stroked his putt in for the win.

Jeong said he had only played in one play-off before, on a mini Tour and lost, and he was full of nerves teeing up in sudden death against Fisher.

“Playing with Ross Fisher … he’s one of my heroes as well,” Jeong said. “Playing with him in the play-off was unbelievable.

“I wasn't calm. I was nervous – probably after 15th, I started nerves quite a bit, 16, 17. I hit a great par save there,” he said. “And 18 (the playoff), hit a really good tee shot and second shot, but the putt was really, really tough. I could put it in the bunker easily. So just the speed was the key for the putt.

“The tap‑in putt, I could miss that one – I was like, oh. But yeah, I was nervous, but also I was excited and I really enjoyed it.”

Jeong acknowledges this win has changed his life but he added that it was too early to get his head around exactly what his future now holds.

For Fisher, who will now moves back into the top-100 of the world ranking, it was disappointing to come up short but he remained upbeat about his game heading into the next few events in The Race To Dubai.

“Obviously would have been lovely to come here and win, but you know, that's golf,” he said. “Just unfortunately came up a little bit short, but I can be very pleased the way I played today. I hung in there really well.

“There's some good names up there and I knew I needed to just play really well. I felt like I did that. I holed a great putt on 11 for a par which kind of kept me going after birdieing 10, and birdied 12 and dropped one on 13, which was disappointing, I kind of thought maybe it's not going to be my day. But managed to birdie 15 and hit a great shot into 17 and made birdie there.

“In the Race To Dubai, I’ve moved up there and I hope it’s got me into next week in China. Good World Ranking points, so hopefully that might put me back in the Top‑100, so it's definitely a step in the right direction. I can't be too disappointed with finishing second.”

Brody Ninyette plays his recovery shot after hitting his drive into rough on the 14th hole. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Ninyette, who at one stage midway through the final round was three shots clear of the field, said he had no reason to feel disappointed with the result and was proud of the way he played all week.

“It was a pretty solid day today,” he said. “I wasn't hitting it that well on the range, warm up wasn't too good. Thought my course management was good enough to get me in but the putter failed me on the last few holes, that was it.

“Leading into the week if somebody told me I'd be tied third or fourth, I'd be stoked.

“My main objective was from this tournament onwards, just trying to save my card for next year after a lousy start to the year. So I’m pretty stoked.”

Another young player who left Lake Karrinyup with a big grin was equal third placegetter New South Wales’ Dimi Papadatos, who was an amateur this time last year and has two pro wins – both pro ams – on his resume.

“This has been awesome,” he said. “Everything I've dreamed of, playing in these big events, in front of big crowds and contending. I was just stoked.”

Mentally, he said he felt no pressure or expectations to perform.

“The mind frame I came in with, like all day out there, no one expected anything of me,” he said. “Sort of just crept along, going all right on the back nine. I had no pressure on me, there's no expectations and so I knew myself, I could probably get close and I was happy that I proved it to myself.”

The 22-year-old from Magenta Shores on the Central Coast said he was also excited to get a good pay cheque.

“I’ve got to pay off a lot of things. My parents and I, especially my parents, put a lot of time and effort into it. Like my dad will say, ‘probably not even square yet’,” he laughed.

Some wayward shots early in the final round meant Brett Rumford was always struggling to make an impression on the leaders. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES