Another Jordan takes St Andrews limelight as amateur Niebrugge shoots five-under
Like namesake Spieth, 21-year-old appears to have an old head on young shoulders
It turns out there’s another 21-year-old American called Jordan worth watching at the British Open.
Jordan Niebrugge shot the lowest first-round score by an amateur in an Open at St Andrews with a 5-under 67 on Thursday, ensuring he was keeping grand slam-chasing Jordan Spieth company on the leaderboard.
Niebrugge’s parents – father Rod and mother Judy – were at the Old Course to see their son’s first ever round at a British Open after he qualified for golf’s oldest major last month. They weren’t surprised he played so well, given his liking for and experience in links conditions back home in Wisconsin.
“It’s a cool way to play,” said Niebrugge, who took advantage of benign morning conditions to pick up shots on the first and last holes and birdie five more holes. “It’s not target golf, like back in the States. Just to play around here and use your imagination is cool.”
Niebrugge played in the Walker Cup in 2013 and is one of the rising talents in the United States. But he has said he will not turn professional until 2016 after he finishes his degree in entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State, the university that counts Rickie Fowler, Hunter Mahan, and Scott Verplank among its golfing alumni.