Tag: Byeong Hun An

The best Halloween costumes from around golf including Rory McIlroy as Mario, Nelly Korda as Master Splinter

Who had the best costume?

On Thursday, some of the biggest names in golf joined in on the Halloween festivities and showed off their awesome costumes. There were some notable ones, including Rory McIlroy as Super Mario and world No. 1 Nelly Korda as Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Some of the other players who posted photos of their Halloween costumes were Tony Finau, Gary Woodland, Sam Burns and Billy Horschel.

If you’re interested in checking out some of our other Halloween content, these are worth a look: Boo! In honor of Halloween, take a closer look at some of the scariest shots, and holes, in golf | 8 pieces of Halloween-themed golf gear to help you celebrate the spooky season

Best PGA Tour, LPGA Halloween costumes

Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald

Camilo Villegas

https://www.instagram.com/camilovillegasofficial/p/DBz9VYLIxcG/?hl=en

Tony Finau

https://www.instagram.com/tonyfinaugolf/reel/DB1FTv6vArq/?hl=en

Sam Burns

https://www.instagram.com/samburns66/p/DBzjk3CyzrT/?hl=en

Gary Woodland

https://www.instagram.com/gary.woodland/p/DBzjO-9vs-l/?hl=en

Billy Horschel

Byeong Hun An

Zac Blair

Nelly and Jessica Korda

https://www.instagram.com/thejessicakorda/p/DBziIHgJx5-/?hl=en

Byeong Hun An leads Genesis Championship on DP World Tour, seeks first win in nine years

After two days at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, An may be ready to end his victory drought.

He has three professional victories on his resume but none since 2015.

After two days at this week’s Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour, Byeong Hun An may be ready to end his victory drought.

An has posted scores of 67-66 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea to get to 11 under and leads by two after two days. He had a birdie-birdie start Friday and posted eight birdies in all.

“I feel like I made a lot of putts of 10-footers, 15-footers so I think that helps for making birdies,” An said. “They weren’t the easiest of putts, but I’ve rolled in some nice putts in the last two days.”

He went on to talk about playing in front of fans in his home country.

“I love to see the fans out here cheer for me. It doesn’t matter whether things go well for me or not, they are still there,” he said. “It would be nice to hold the trophy at the end of the day but I haven’t been here for the last five years,  six years in a tournament, so all I’m trying to do is show some good golf because they don’t see much of me, so I’ll try my best and see what happens.”

Casey Jarvis and Francesco Laporta are tied at 9 under, two back. Tom Kim is tied for eighth at 7 under.

The top 114 golfers on the Race to Dubai Rankings after Sunday’s final round earn their tour card for 2025.

Marco Penge, sitting at No. 115 at the start of the tournament, made birdie on his final hole to make the cut on the number and keep his chances alive of staying on the DP World Tour next year.

An Olympic medal would drastically change the lives of Tom Kim, Byeong Hun An. Here’s why

Rarely does a sporting event carry true-life implications like this tournament.

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — No matter your interest in Sunday’s final round of the Olympic men’s golf tournament, root for South Korea’s Tom Kim and Byeong Hun An to win medals.

It’d change their lives. Really.

We often talk about the pressure to win in sports, but rarely does a sporting event carry true-life implications like this tournament could for these two golfers.

In South Korea, able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the military for at least 18 months to as long as two years. Application of this is nearly universal, fame or not. Internationally famous boy band members, for instance, have been made to serve.

“I guess the other Koreans would say, ‘Everyone goes, so why do we get exempt from it?’” An told reporters this week at Le Golf National.

More: 2024 Olympics | How to watch | Men’s field | Women’s field

Exceptions are granted for special situations, though, and one of those is winning an Olympic medal. For South Korean golfers, winning no other tournament besides the Asian Games – even a major championship – meets these qualifications.

Kim, 22, and An, 32, are both within shouting distance of a medal entering Sunday. They’ll need to play well.

An (7 under) is seven strokes behind leaders Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm after playing his way back into contention Saturday with a 66. An was 8 under through the first 11 holes, climbing within a couple shots of the lead, before finding the water on No. 13 and making double bogey.

Kim (10 under) opened with a 66 and a 68 to start Saturday’s round only three shots back. But he was unable to gain much ground on the leaders Saturday, finishing with a 69. He’ll start Saturday four shots off the lead, tied for sixth.

2024 Olympics
Byeong Hun An (KOR) putts on the 18th green in the third round of men’s golf stroke play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Le Golf National. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

One of the PGA Tour’s bright young stars, who was profiled on Netflix’s “Full Swing” golf series, Kim hasn’t wished to discuss the topic much this week. Asked after Friday’s second round how he can block out what it means for him to be in contention at the Olympics, Kim replied, “Good question.”

“I want me and Ben to be standing in that stadium not for exemption but for our country,” Kim told reporters before the tournament. “That’s the most important part. That’s the pride of being a South Korean. We have our services, and it is what it is.”

This topic has come up before in golf. Last year, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im earned an exemption from service by helping the South Korean team win a gold medal at the Asian Games.

Sang-Moon Bae is perhaps the most well-known example. He played and won on the PGA Tour before serving in the military, and after returning to golf, his performance dipped.

“It’s not easy,” An told reporters this week. “You don’t get to practice or play for a year and a half-ish. It’s very harsh for golfers.”

Ben An’s parents each medaled in the 1988 Olympics. He’s hoping to top them with gold in Paris

“Hopefully I get some kind of medal, hopefully gold because they never had a gold,” he said.

It’s not uncommon for sports to run in the family. Nelly Korda’s dad, Petr, for example, was a prominent tennis player, as was her mom, Regina, who competed in the 1988 Olympics in the sport.

Ben An, among the 60-man field in golf at the 2024 Olympics, has two sporting parents as well. His dad, Ahn Jae-Hyung, competed for Korea in the 1988 Games, winning a bronze in table tennis, and his mom, Jiao Zhimin, was there as well at the same games, held in Seoul, South Korea. She took home silver and bronze, also in table tennis.

“It’s always been my dream to win a medal in the Olympics, and I’ve probably watched the Olympics more than any other golfers, than anybody else growing up I guess, my parents being Olympians,” he said, before adding that he’d like to one-up them both by winning the top prize.

“Hopefully I get some kind of medal, hopefully gold because they never had a gold,” he said.

His parents were married in Sweden prior to Korea and China having diplomatic ties. An moved to the U.S. with his dad in 2005 while his mom, who also hosts a sports talk show in China, stayed back to work to support the family. As for the medals, An says he’s only seen them “once in my life, I think. I was 11 years old I think. It was in the States, so I think I remember seeing them once or twice, and then I haven’t seen it since.”

An is in Paris alongside fellow Korean Tom Kim, an Olympics first-timer. Golf in the Summer Games is a 72-hole, stroke-play event, so both golfers have a chance to medal.

“We’ve never had a Korean golfer win a medal, so I think it would be very big to put one of our names on that history as part of it,” An said. “If one of us can have a gold medal and put ourselves up there on the podium it would be good for our country.

“It would be huge for not only our country but golf in Asia, I think if we can somehow do something like that would be very big.”

The golf competition starts Thursday, and there’s practice rounds before that, but perhaps when it’s over, An and Kim will be able to root on their fellow Koreans in some other sports in Paris.

“It would probably be just whatever sport it is, just one of our countrymen contending for a medal, I think that would be really, really cool. It would be really inspiring,” he said. “As players, when you see other players achieve something really, really cool for their country it almost inspires you. Hopefully before the weekend, we would be able to experience that.”

Rory McIlroy in the mix among takeaways from first round of 2023 Genesis Scottish Open

Catch up on Thursday’s action here.

The opening round of the Genesis Scottish Open is in the books, and there’s just one thing to say: it’s tough to beat coffee golf.

Byeong Hun An had himself a day at The Renaissance Club, posting a bogey-free 9-under 61 to take the outright 18-hole lead. Looking for his first win on the PGA Tour, An leads Davis Riley, who’s alone in second, by two shots.

Riley is already a winner on Tour this season, teaming up with Nick Hardy to win the Zurich Classic in April. The University of Alabama product was able to keep the scorecard clean Thursday, signing for a 7-under 63. His round included a stretch of five straight birdies on Nos. 3-7. This is Riley’s first appearance at The Renaissance Club.

If you missed any of the action Thursday, no worries, we have you covered. Here’s everything you need to know from the opening round of the Genesis Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland.

Scottish Open: Leaderboard | Friday tee times | Photos

Despite bogey on 18, Byeong Hun An wins Lecom Suncoast Classic on Korn Ferry Tour

He twice previously lost a playoff on the PGA Tour but now he has a win on the Korn Ferry Tour.

He’s played in the Olympics (2016) and a Presidents Cup (2019). He was close to winning twice on the PGA Tour before falling short in a playoff. He does have three international wins but on Sunday, Byeong Hun An broke through with a win at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic, his first win anywhere in seven years.

An carded a final-round 69 which included a bogey on the final hole at Lakewood National GC Commander in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. His four-day total of 17-under 267 (65-66-67-69) was good enough to win by a shot over a foursome of Seonghyeon Kim, Scott Harrington, Ben Griffin and MJ Daffue.

Eight other golfers tied for sixth at 15 under, including Michael Gellerman, whose double-bogey 6 on 18 proved costly. Gellerman started the day with his first 54-hole lead on the Korn Ferry Tour in 65 starts.

The Korn Ferry Tour takes a month off before returning with back-to-back events in Louisiana at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open in Broussard and the Lake Charles Championship.

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Zurich Classic: Notables who missed the cut in New Orleans

Not even the team format and a pairing with World No. 4 Collin Morikawa could turn around the fortunes of Matthew Wolff.

AVONDALE, La. – Not even the team format of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and a pairing with World No. 4 Collin Morikawa could turn around the fortunes of Matthew Wolff.

They were among the notables to miss the cut at TPC Louisiana.

The field of 80 two-man teams was trimmed on Friday night to the top 33 and ties. That meant it took a score of 6-under 138 (T-24) to play the weekend. Nine teams missed by one stroke and were just three strokes away from being in the top 10 heading into the weekend. It shows just how fine a line it is between success and failure on the PGA Tour – and making a check.

Here are three of the top teams who won’t be playing on the weekend.

Byeong Hun An roasts himself on Twitter after making an 11 on 17th hole at Players Championship

Byeong Hun An roasted himself on Twitter after making an 11 on the famous 17th hole at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

The first round of the Players Championship has been a very wet one already as we’ve seen a ton of tee shots on the legendary par-3 17th hole land in the water.

We told you earlier about Kevn Na’s disaster of a time on that hole in which he chipped in for an 8 after hitting three shots in the water. He later withdrew from the tournament with a back injury.

Well, a little later in the day Byeong Hun An walked over to the 17 tee and made Na’s 8 look like nothing. An hit four balls in the water and ended up with an 11, which is the second-highest score to ever be recorded on the island hole (during the Players Championship, I’m sure amateurs who have played the course have fared worse).

An had the perfect tweet after his round, though, as he was able to make fun of himself a bit.

Players Championship: Leaderboard | Photos

An then made double-bogey on the 18th hole, meaning he needed 17 strokes to play the final two holes. He finished his round at 11 over.

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Missed cuts. A neck injury. A practice-round nightmare. Then a 65 to open American Express

Byeong Hun An fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 at PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course in the first round of the American Express on Thursday.

LA QUINTA, Calif. – Ben An missed five of seven cuts in the fall portion of the season, battled a nagging neck injury earlier this week, and lost so many balls during one of his pre-tournament practice rounds that he needed to borrow golf balls from fellow South Korean native Seong-Yul Noh to play the final few holes.

So, of course, he went out and fired a bogey-free 7-under 65 at PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course in the first round of the American Express.

An, who started on the back nine, rolled in three birdies in a row beginning at the par-5 11th hole. He made his longest putt of the day, an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-3 12th, and said the rest of his birdies were from no more than 3 feet.

An spent his off-season at home taking care of his 11-month son, Sandy, and working on swing changes he started to make in late November with his new instructor, Sean Foley, who used to teach Tiger Woods and Justin Rose.

“Obviously it’s paying off, I’m hitting it a lot better and I’m hitting some good shots and still making some progress out there,” An said. “So yeah, we’re happy where we’re going right now and hopefully it gets better.”

The American Express: Leaderboard

An trails Brandon Hagy, who bogeyed his first hole before rattling off nine birdies en route to shooting 8-under 64 at the Nicklaus Tournament Course. Hagy was an alternate for the tournament and didn’t get into the field until Jon Rahm withdrew on Monday.

The big-name players in the field this week mostly struggled. Brooks Koepka shot even-par 72, Rickie Fowler, who hasn’t recorded a top-10 on Tour since last year’s American Express, birdied the final hole for 73 and tournament host Phil Mickelson struggled to 74 and headed straight for the range.

The American Express
Phil Mickelson plays his second shot on the 11th hole during the first round of The American Express at PGA West TPC Nicklaus Tournament Course. Photo by Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

All three of those players, along with An and Hagy, head to the tougher Stadium Course on Friday, where Si Woo Kim shot the lowest score in the first round, a 66. When An played his practice round there earlier this week, he dunked six balls in the water.

“I do that more often than you would think,” he said. “I had to borrow like two, three balls for the last three holes. It was my caddie’s fault. He only brought like five balls out there.”

An, 29, has been a steady yet unspectacular performer since turning pro in 2011. He hasn’t won since the 2015 BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour and still considers notching his maiden PGA Tour title his top goal this season.

“Probably same for the last five years, win the tournament and try and play in the Tour Championship, that’s my goal,” he said.

When asked to explain what’s held him back from tasting victory, An said, “It just shows how tough it is to win out here, so, I’m not too worried about it and if I hit it like today and putt like today then I’m sure I can get a win this year.”

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Byeong Hun An makes a final-round hole-in-one at PGA Championship

Byeong Hun An aced the 189-yard 11th hole during the final round at TPC Harding Park on Sunday.

Byeong Hun An recorded the first hole-in-one at the 2020 PGA Championship on Sunday.

An got his first-ever ace on the 11th hole during the final round at TPC Harding Park. The hole was playing 189 yards and An’s ball bounced four times on the green before gently rolling into the cup.

With no fans on site, An – as well as the rest of us, for that matter – missed out on what would have been a huge roar from the crowd. But there was one exulted call from someone on the course; watch the video below for the reaction.

It’s the 32nd ace on the PGA Tour this season and the first since Bronson Burgoon had a hole-in-one at the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

An’s ace is the 28th at the PGA Championship since 1983. Lucas Bjerregaard had one during the 2019 PGA Championship.

Leaderboard | TV info | Tee times | Photos

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