S. Korean men miss cut at final PGA stop before Rio
An Byeong-hun
Both of the South Korean male Olympic golfers missed the cut at their final PGA Tour event before the Rio Games.
An Byeong-hun and Wang Jeung-hun missed on the weekend action at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey. An had six bogeys against four birdies in the second round of the season's final major on Friday (local time) for a 72 at the par-70 layout, and missed the cut by two at four-over 144.
Wang carded a 75 in the second round and walked away with an eight-over 148 after two days.
Their coach, eight-time PGA Tour winner Choi Kyoung-ju, shot an even 70 on Friday and is sitting at two-under 138, tied for 22nd.
The Olympics will kick off next Friday, and the men's golf tournament will open on Aug. 11.
An, the 2015 European Tour Rookie of the Year, is the top-ranked South Korean in the world at No. 31. A Japanese tour veteran Kim Kyung-tae is next on the world rankings and would have qualified for Rio, but he withdrew citing concerns over the Zika virus.
Wang, the two-time European Tour winner this year, was the first alternate.
The top-15 players in the world as of July 11 were eligible for the Olympics, with a maximum of four players per nation. Countries that don't already have players inside the top 15 could field up to two players. (Yonhap)