Golf: Noh Seung-Yul qualifies for Match Play Championship
The winner of the Asian Order of Merit Noh Seung-Yul has made the cut for the Accenture Match Play Championship, which will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Dove Mountain, Arizona.
The news was confirmed by the Asian Tour executive chairperson Kyi Hla Han in a press conference on Tuesday. He said, “This is fantastic news for Noh and the Asian Tour. After the season that he had with us, we are confident he will fly the Asian flag proudly
at the Accenture Match Play.”
The 19-year-old will attend his first Accenture Match Play Championship after putting up an outstanding performance in 2010. The Korean surged to 63rd place on the Official World Golf Rankings and retained the position despite missing the halfway
cut in the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
He was one-over-par after two rounds at the Emirates Golf Club.
However, after making the cut in the fourth annual World Golf Championships, the Korean has increased his chances for the Masters, which is the first major of 2011.
Seung-Yul has been bidding for a place in the Masters and World Golf Championships since the start of the season.
If the Korean finishes strong in the World Golf Championships, its purse will help him surge up in the rankings. A top 50 ranking is required to make the cut for the Masters.
However, Seung-Yul will not be the only Korean in the field. He will be joined by K.J. Choi, Y.E. Yang and Kim Kyung-Tae. Choi is ranked 49th, Yang is ranked 44th while Kyung-Tae is ranked 27th in the world.
Apart from these four punters, Hiroyuki Fujita who won the Asian Tour in 2010 thrice will also head towards the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Arizona on 21 February, 2011 for the big battle. Fujita is 50th in the world and has ten professional wins
to his credit.
The group of Koreans will compete against the Englishman Ian Poulter who won the title in 2010 against Paul Casey by a margin of two strokes.
This will be Noh’s first attempt on the World Golf Championships that are considered as the fifth flagship event on the PGA Tour.
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