Jang is Major Tough

And she did! Like she had all week, Jeong Jang hit a ton of fairways. On this day, 12 of 14. Nothing better to help you than to keep it out of the long stuff. She also plonked it on the green 14 out of 18 holes, giving herself ample birdie opportunities. And best of all, she took advantage of those opportunities.

JJ birdied right out of the box on hole one, and added two more at 6 and 9 and a bogey at 8 to go out in 2 under par. This left her at 2 over par, and at that time, Mi Hyun still looked most like the Korean player who could get the job done.

But JJ caught fire at that point and scored birdies on 10, 13 and 14. Just like that, she was one under par and in 9th place. She had literally come from nowhere to make it onto the board. A bogey on 16, the toughest hole of the week, set her back, but she parred 17, then put her approach on 18 about 15 feet over the hole. Just where she wanted it! "I knew I could be aggressive and go behind the pin. I especially like downhill putts," Jang said. "I already made the cut, and I wanted to finish top-10, so I was ready to go out and be aggressive."

Jeong Jang on Sunday, during her
fantastic 6 under par 66

JJ rips it up Sunday
(Click to enlarge)

The putt was lightning fast, but JJ was true to her word: she really did like downhillers! She tapped the putt and watched as it slowly, inexorably rolled on line for a final hole birdie. This gave her a 66, tied at the time with the lowest score anyone had managed all week! Indeed, it was the only time on Sunday she made it onto TV. She grinned widely, knowing that that great putt had secured her the top ten. Even more, her great play had given her a very impressive ninth consecutive top 25 in a Major, and the more than $80,000 she would collect would move her to 13th on the money list, her highest ever placing on that list.

JJ has shown that she is a player to watch. She now has three top tens, and is going into another event, the Canadian Open, where she has had success in the past. Perhaps it's time to add her name to the list of best Korean players yet to win on tour. And perhaps she won't be on that list much longer!