James Byrne can dare to dream of Masters berth as final looms

Dropping just one shot in 34 holes – a remarkable achievement in a testing wind and on greens getting slicker by the second on the East Lothian course – Byrne is the first Scot to earn a tilt at the title since Swanston New's John Gallagher reached the final five years ago and, if successful, will be the fifth player from the home of golf to claim the coveted prize in the last 19 years.

"It was hard trying to contain my emotions out there because there is so much pressure," said Byrne. "It is easy to get ahead of yourself but every time I thought about the final and The Masters (the winner today will also earn a place in next month's Open Championship at St Andrews] I tried to focus on what clubs to hit and the yardages. It is a bit cliched but all I was trying to do was stay in the moment and take one shot at the time."

Byrne, a 21-year-old who was born in England, has an English father and a mother from Singapore but has lived in Scotland since he was three weeks old, is playing in his first event on home soil since returning for the summer from Arizona State University and has earned a host of admirers in East Lothian this week, notably for his fearless holing out.

In his quarter-final yesterday morning against Frenchman Edouard Espana, he was in danger of being hauled back to all square after letting his tee shot at the 186-yard 16th, which was playing straight into the wind, slide into one of the greenside bunkers. However, after splashing out to nine feet, the Scot holed his par putt and duly repeated the feat, this time for a birdie though from closer range, at the long 17th to clinch a 2 and 1 win.

Fuelled by a hearty Muirfield lunch, Byrne headed out in the afternoon feeling confident after a "good warm-up" on the range but quickly discovered that he needed to stay patient against Englishman Chris Paisley, a 24-year-old who played in last year's Walker Cup and who, over the front nine at least, was almost robotic as he followed arrow-like tee shots with equally accurate iron-play and, to boot, also had a silky touch on the greens.

Byrne's only blemish of the day – a three-putt from just short of the par-3 fourth – saw Paisley, from Stocksfield in Northumberland, gain the upper hand early on but the Scot squared matters with a peach of a putt for a birdie at the 443-yard eight. "It was a big-breaker from 20 feet and was a big one (in the context of the match] as Chris was proving hard to break down," said Byrne afterwards.

A six-footer that secured a half at the next was also important as it helped Byrne get his nose in front for the first time in the match at the tenth, where his opponent hit a wild drive and conceded later he still wasn't in the hole after five blows. Byrne went two up at the 13th, where a par proved good enough, and saw it home from there.

"I think I gained the upper hand on Chris mentally by not dropping any shots," said the Scot, who admitted he found it "weird" to see Dean Robertson caddying for Paisley after the former Italian Open champion had been on his bag at last year's Scottish Amateur Championship. Both Byrne and Paisley are in the Palmer Cup team that Robertson will captain in Ireland next week.

Jeong, a 20-year-old South Korean who moved to Australia three years ago, only got his first experience of a Scottish links three weeks ago.

That was in the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship at Glasgow Gailes and, like so many others before him, his first impression certainly wasn't favourable. "I didn't like it at first. When I play golf in Australia or the US, I feel like I can control the ball but here the ball bounces everywhere. I couldn't get any backspin and had to play so many different shots – that was my main problem," he said.

In the circumstances then, Jeong, the world No10, did well to secure a top-ten finish in Ayrshire, but he then went to St Andrews and missed the cut in the Links Trophy. "I hated that. I couldn't do anything and was over the green most of the time," he added.

However, the plus five handicapper would still be delighted to be heading back to St Andrews next month for the Open. "I have been dreaming of winning this tournament for a long time," he remarked. "The first Open I watched on TV was the one here in 2002. I remember seeing the thick rough and I've wanted to hit from it ever since."

Jeong hasn't been in the thick stuff too much this week and, in addition to beating Romain Wattel, the Frenchman who won at Glasgow Gailes, his victims en route to the final have included British Boys' champion Tom Lewis, Lytham Trophy winner Paul Cutler and, in the semi-finals, Matthew Nixon, conqueror of leading qualifier Tommy Fleetwood.