Hokie Shares Lead After First Round of U.S. Open

Former Virginia Tech All-American Brendon de Jonge is the co-leader after the first round of the U.S. Open. The 29-year-old native of Zimbabwe shot -2 yesterday at Pebble Beach in his Open debut.

De Jonge has “struggled” on the PGA tour debuting in 2007 with $437,172 in earnings and one third place finish.

In 2008, he was named the Nationwide Tour’s player of the year in a vote of his peers after he finished No. 2 on the money list ($437,035), earning a spot on the PGA Tour the next year.

In 2009, de Jonge managed a fourth for his best finish and earned $536,696 leaving him 137th on the money list. So far this year, the former Hokie is having his best year yet – 18 starts, 11 cuts made, a fourth place finish (Quail Hollow) and $895,555 in purses (51st on the money list).

De Jonge earned second-team All-America honors at Tech in 2002 and 2003, where he was a teammate of PGA TOUR member Johnson Wagner.

A tough guy, he played through a broken rib to finish ninth at the 2002 NCAA Central Regional. In 2003, de Jonge was the Big East Conference champion.