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S. Koreans scarce at 2015 British Open

July 15, 2015

Clockwise from top left, An Byeong-hun of South Korea, Korean Americans Kevin Na, James Hahn and Korean New Zealander Danny Lee. (AP Photos)

By Brian Han

Technically speaking, there will be only one South Korean professional playing in the 2015 British Open field, which will begin on Thursday at St. Andrews’ Old Course.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be at least a handful of familiar Korean faces.

An Byeong-hun earned his spot in the field after winning the 2015 BMW Championship in May.

South Korean amateur Gunn Yang will also be playing in the field while competing in his third straight PGA Tour major this year. The 21-year-old made himself eligible for these events after winning the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship.

Korean Americans James Hahn and Kevin Na will be in the field competing for the Claret Jug as well.

Na automatically qualifies with his world No. 29 ranking and will be playing the event for the fifth time in his career. His best finish was back in 2010 when he tied for 27th.

Hahn on the other hand will be making his British Open debut after qualifying by tying for sixth in the 2015 Greenbrier Classic. He secured his first career PGA Tour win at the Northern Trust Open earlier in the season.

The winner of the Greenbrier Classic, South Korean-born New Zealander Danny Lee, will also make his debut. The 24-year-old has been on a tear as of late and was one-stroke away from entering a playoff with Jordan Spieth at the most recent PGA event, the John Deere Classic.

Other notable South Korean players like K.J. Choi, Bae Sang-moon and Noh Seung-yul either chose not to participate or were unable to meet the qualifications for the event.