Golf:Teenager Noh Seung-yul has become the first South Korean to receive an invite to the USPGA Championship to be played at Whistling Straits next week.
The 19-year-old was invited along with Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and England’s Simon Khan for the season's final major at the Wisconsin venue.
Noh, who qualified for this year's British Open at St Andrews, made his breakthrough earlier this year after winning the Malaysian Open in March when he edged out compatriot KJ Choi by one shot.
"It is an honour to be invited," said Noh after receiving the invite.
Six Koreans will play at the USPGA Championship, including defending champion YE Yang, who last year became the first Asian player to win a major after deying world number on Tiger Woods.
Khan bagged the biggest cheque of his career in May when he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and currently stands at 102nd in the world rankings.
Fernandez-Castano, two places higher on the world standings, joins Khan in the 156-man field.
Ben Curtis and Boo Weekley will also line-up because they played in the 2008 Ryder Cup and remain inside the top 100.
Justin Leonard, another member of the winning US team two years ago, has fallen to 101 in the world but claimed a place in the field thanks to money earned since last year's USPGA.
Darren Clarke, who sneaked into the world’s top 100 at 99th after the Irish Open, also received an invite to Whistling Straitd but was informed before teeing it up in Killarney.
Two more places remain vacant for players who win this week's WGC-Bridgestone event or the Turning Stone Resort Championship not already qualified.
The two players currently on the alternate list are American DJ Trahan and Australian Matt Jones.