Jeong wins best amateur player award at British Open

South Korean golfer Jeong Jin has claimed the British Open silver medal as the leading amateur player after finishing 14th with a score of 4-under 284, the event organizers said Monday.

The 20-year-old, whose full Korean name is Jeong Yeon-jin, became the only non-professional player to make the cut at the 150th British Open championships in St. Andrews, Scotland. He tied for 14th with eight other athletes.

At last month's British Amateur competition, Jeong became the first Asian man to lift the trophy in its 125-year history. The victory secures him a berth at the U.S. Masters golf tournament next April.

"My goal was to win the silver medal. I'm so happy to achieve it," said Jeong. "After last month's amateur competition, I dreamed of playing here, and I made it happen.

"There were so many people, and it made me concentrate more on my game. I felt good when they applauded my efforts," said Jeong, who finished higher than the other South Korean golfers on the leaderboard.

South Koreans Kim Kyung-tae finished 48th and Yang Yong-eun, the first Asian to win last year's PGA Championship, tied at 60th.