By David Fierro

Jack Chung, a Greenwich resident and rising Brunswick School sophomore, will soon have the pleasure of testing his golf skills at the leading annual tournament in the country for amateur competitors.

Chung earned a trip to Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado – the site of the 123rd U.S. Amateur Championship. The prestigious U.S. Amateur is scheduled to take place Aug. 14-20 at Cherry Hills Country Club.

Chung, who will be one of the youngest players competing in the event, qualified for the U.S. Amateur by shooting a 2-under-par 138 at the two-round Sectional Qualifying Round at Garden City Country Club in Garden City, N.Y., on June 29. He, along with Matthew Lowe of Farmingdale, N.Y., who also shot a 2-under-par 138, were the only two players who earned spots for the U.S. Amateur out of the 84 golfers that competed at the Sectional Qualifying Round, hosted by the Metropolitan Golf Association.

“I am mainly grateful to qualify for the U.S. Am and to have the opportunity to play at the biggest amateur tournament in golf,” said Chung, who was a member of the Brunswick varsity golf team as a freshman this past spring. “I think this accomplishment also proves to me that my hard work is paying off.”

Chung shot an even-par 70 in the first round of the Sectional Qualifier for the U.S. Amateur, then posted a 2-under 68 in the second round, earning an overall score of 2-under 138. Indeed, he certainly accomplished plenty in his first appearance at Garden Country Club.

“I never played at Garden City CC previously, but I enjoyed the course because it was in excellent condition, which provided a fair test of golf,” Chung said.

In the opening round of the Section Qualifier at Garden City Country Club, Chung registered seven birdie putts. He holed birdie putts on the par-4 third hole, the par-4 seventh hole, the par-4 ninth hole, No. 12 (par-5), No. 15 (par-4), No. 16 (par-5) and No. 18 (par-4). With his putter being the best club in his bag, the second round of the qualifier saw him post five birdies and a lot of pars on his way to carding an impressive 2-under 68.

“I putted exceptionally well that day in the first and second round, which helped me accumulate birdies,” Chung noted. “I had a slow start to the second round with bogeys on my first two holes, but I chipped in from just off the green on the 4th for birdie, which kept me in the round. On the last back nine, I hit the ball consistently well, which set up a few birdie opportunities.”

Traveling a long distance to compete in a tournament is familiar territory for Chung. In July of 2022, he was the only golfer from Connecticut to play in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, which was held at Bandon Dunes Golf Resport in Bandon Dunes, Oregon. Chung shot a 74-74-148 at last summer’s U.S. Junior Amateur and currently preparing himself to make the trip to Colorado next month.

“I am excited to go to Colorado and play at Cherry Hills CC and Colorado Golf Club; the courses look great,” he said. “Most of the tournaments I play are on unfamiliar courses, so I am comfortable just sticking to my routine to prepare once I get there.”

Indeed, Chung will be one of the youngest, if not the youngest competitor at the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship, a fact he’s well aware of.

“I realize the players in a tournament like the U.S. Am are mostly adults, but I like to stay focused on my performance instead of my competitors,” Chung noted. “I also think this is a great opportunity for me to test my game against some of the best amateurs, who are older than me.”

Chung, whose home course is Greenwich Country Club, plans on playing in MGA Tournaments such as the 106th Met Junior Championship, which will be held at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.Y., July 17-19 and the Carter Cup (Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J., Aug. 1).

“My summer is usually filled with golf tournaments,” he said. “In between tournaments and travel, I practice on my own and work with my swing coach to get my game ready for competition.”

Jack’s father John, introduced him to the sport when he was a youngster and he played in several tournaments as a 7-year old. He began taking the sport especially seriously at the age of 11.

This past spring, Chung joined Brunswick’s varsity golf team, which enjoyed a season to remember. The Bruins earned an eye-opening record of 36-1, while winning the team title at the Western New England Tournament and the FAA Tournament.

“My freshman year at Brunswick was excellent,” Chung said. “Our team was one of the best in our school’s history, with some great senior and junior depth. I enjoyed the team environment, which was a nice break from a very individual sport.”

Coached by Anthony Fischetti, Brunswick won the 16-team Western New England Prep Invitational Tournament with a team aggregate score of 367. Avon Old Farms School placed second with a score of 380, followed by Salisbury School (389), Kent School (391), Westminster School (392) and Taft School (397) at the Western New England Prep Invitational Tournament, which took place at Bull’s Bridge Golf Club in South Kent.

Brunswick’s five-score aggregate broke the tournament record. Rising senior Will Harned led the Bruins with a round of 69 and Chung also paced the team, posting a 69. Rocket Servick, a rising junior, shot a 73, while Sam O’Hara, who graduated from Brunswick in May, carded a 74 at the Western New England tourney.

“Western New England’s was a nice final tournament for our high school season and it was a great course – Bull’s Bridge Golf Club,” Chung said. “I shot 71 (-1) and finished with birdies on the last two holes. It was great to see my teammates play well also and we ended up winning by 13 shots. This was the perfect way to end our season of spring high school golf.”

At the FAA Tournament at New Haven Country Club in May, Brunswick won the tourney in dominant fashion, finishing 19 strokes ahead of runner-up King School.

The Bruins finished with an aggregate score of 367, while King finished second (387), followed by Hamden Hall Country Day School (388) and St. Luke’s School (389) at the nine-team FAA Tournament.

Paced by Virginia-bound O’Hara’s round of 1-over-par 71, the Bruins cruised to the FAA title. Harned, who has committed to Wisconsin, shot a 72, while Yale-bound Andrew Stickel shot a 73. Chung and Servick each carded a 76 to also pace the Bruins to their FAA Tournament win, while Matteo Santulin posted a solid 78.

“FAA’s were before New England’s but we won convincingly, which proved our team depth,” Chung said. “It was nice to win as a team in our area’s high school golf championship.”