The British Open, the Young Guns Show Up

July 22, 2015

 The British Open played at St. Andrews, introduced a handful of potential stars, some older champions, and of course, Jordan Spieth. This being a unique Open for various reasons, two of three amateurs landed in the top twelve, and the third, Paul Dunne, contended until the final round on Sunday. Nothing to take away from Zach Johnson's victory, but it seems like the most prominent stories were about the amateurs and the elephant in the room, Spieth.

The three amateurs were Oliver Schniederjens, a talented college player from Georgia Tech, Jordan Niebrugge, a senior from Oklahoma State, and Paul Dunne from Ireland. Schniederjens finished at nine under par with a solid round of 67 on the final day, which put him at twelfth place. His fellow countryman, Niebrugge, came in at eleven under par and earned him the Silver Medal for the top amateur and an exemption into next year's tournament. Lastly, Paul Dunne began the fourth round tied for first place, only to shoot a disappointing 78 on the last day. An amateur hasn't won the British Open since Bobby Jones did 85 years ago.

Schiederjens will become a pro shortly after a stay as the number one ranked amateur in the world. He had a fantastic run the last year at Georgia Tech and now will be heading to the professional ranks with momentum. Niebrugge, a senior at Oklahoma State, will continue as an amateur while finishing his degree. At the Open, not only was he an amateur, he became the first since Chris Woods at Royal Birkdale in 2008 to finish in the top ten. Dunne of Ireland was the first amateur to be leading the final round in 88 years. Who knows if nerves plagued him on the last day, but it was unfortunate and would have been a great story.

How odd to be seeing amateurs putting pressure on the older pros and Jordan Spieth breathing down their necks as well. This is precisely what you want to see in a major tournament because it brings out the best in a lot of the established players. The golfing world is looking for the next young phenom to be compared to Tiger Woods, and after the Open, you might have new blood.