Concord Golf Club’s Jason Hong has starred in Purdue University’s first major trophy win in almost 37 years.
Hong, who has been studying at Purdue since August, went undefeated for the Boilermakers as they shared honours with Michigan State University in the Big Ten Matchplay Championship at Hammock Beach Resort in Florida last weekend.
The 19-year-old who is in his Freshman year, recorded wins of two up, 4&3, one up, and 6&4, to be a standout performer over the weekend.
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The Boilermaker's coach, Rob Bradley, described the win as a total team effort.
“I’m proud of the way we played all weekend,” Bradley told the university’s website. “It was a total team effort and a good way to start the spring.”
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Hong, A former captain of the NSW Boys team that won the Junior interstate series in 2016, also finished runner-up in the Australian Junior Championship and second in the Aaron Baddeley before deciding to pursue a degree in Industrial Management at the fabled university.
"I've just started the spring semester, so I feel like I’ve settled in now," Hong said.
"There were so many much adjustments I had to make both on and off the golf course which was uncomfortable at first, but now I feel like I understand the system better."
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"It’s been a huge learning curve these past few months," He smiled.
Hong also credited his development to another Aussie with the team, Mitch Krywulycz, the team's asistant coach.
"He's been really helpful with my game,
"Teaching me how to score even though you don’t have your “A” game,
"And that's what college golf is all about," Hong added.