BALLYLIFFIN, County Donegal — Arkansas All-American Jacob Skov Olesen became the first Danish player to win the British Amateur, one of the most prestigious trophies in golf, with a 4-and-3 victory over Dominic Clemons of England on Saturday at Ballyliffin Golf Links.
The victory gets the 25-year-old Olesen into the British Open next month at Royal Troon, and the Masters and U.S. Open next year if he stays an amateur.
Olesen seized control of the 36-hole championship match with a birdie on the 23rd hole to go 6 up. Clemons, 2 down after the morning session, tried to rally with a birdie on the 27th hole, driving the green on the next hole for an eagle.
Olesen, who played college golf at TCU and spent his final year of eligibility at Arkansas, went 5-up on the 30th hole and closed out the match when Clemons had to take a penalty drop on the 33rd hole because of a buried lie in the rough.
The victory means a Razorback will compete in The Open Championship for a second consecutive year. Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira earned an exemption in 2023 by winning the Latin America Amateur Championship.
Olesen is the 129th British Amateur champion, dating back to 1885. Statistically, he finished with one of the best seasons in Razorback history this past year, placing 17th in the final NCAA rankings and setting Arkansas records for season scoring (69.94) and rounds in the 60s (16) while tying a program season record with 24 rounds at par or better.
Additionally, Olesen was the only Razorback to play all 33 team rounds, pacing the squad with 10 top-15, five top-10 and three top-5 finishes.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
