Byeong Hun An’s parents

An Byeong-hun, aka Ben An or Byeong-Hun An, is a South Korean professional golfer born on September 17, 1991. Ben relocated to the United States when he was 14 to attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida. In 2009, at 17, he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur. He later enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, before turning professional in 2011. His first pro victory came at the 2014 Rolex Trophy on the Challenge Tour.

Ben joined the European Tour (now DP World Tour) in 2015 and won the BMW PGA Championship, a signature event. In the same year, he also earned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year and European Tour Graduate of the Year honors. In 2017, he earned his PGA Tour card. As of February 2025, Ben has five professional wins and ranks No. 32 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), with a career-high of No. 22, achieved in November 2024.

Who are Byeong Hun An’s parents?

Byeong Hun An’s parents are Jae Hyung Ahn and Zhimin Jiao. Both are Olympic athletes who met during the 1984 Asian Table Tennis Championship in Pakistan. They got married five years later, in 1989, in Sweden.

Ben announced that his parents had started a table tennis club in June 2023 by sharing a picture of them on Instagram with the caption, “My parents have opened a table tennis club in Sinchon! Everyone, young and old, is welcome to come and enjoy. Please visit us often!📍 iPingPong Address: 27 Myeongmul-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul”

Byeong Hun An’s mother

Byeong Hun An’s mother, Jiao Zhimin, is a former table tennis player and Olympic athlete who represented China. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she won silver in doubles and bronze in singles. She also won five World Championship medals, including gold in the 1987 New Delhi team event. After marrying in 1989, she retired professionally and became a South Korean citizen.

Ben, on being asked by the PGA Tour why he chose golf instead of table tennis, said, “I've never thought about playing table tennis. That's what my parents said too. They thought golf was easier than table tennis, although they now know golf is much harder.”

Zhimin owns a fashion store and a Korean restaurant in Harbin, China, and in 2004, she founded an information consultancy firm in Beijing, serving as its chairman. From 2010 to 2012, she was Jeju Island’s public relations ambassador. In 2013, she took on the role of chairman at Omnitel China and also hosted a program on China's CCTV-5 sports channel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to South Korea.

Byeong Hun An’s father

Byeong Hun An’s father is Jae Hyung Ahn. Like his wife, he is also a former table tennis player and an Olympic athlete who represented South Korea. He won a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in doubles. Later, Hyung Ahn served as the head coach of the women's South Korean team.

Ben acknowledged that his parents wanted him to come to the United States to utilize better training facilities. He said, "It was a good blend of education and golf. I got into the IMG Academy in Bradenton and lived with my grandma. She took great care of me, always ensuring I had cooked Korean meals every day.” (via the PGA Tour)

Byeong Hun An’s parents' nationality

Byeong Hun An's father, Jae-Hyung Ahn, is South Korean, while his mother, Zhimin Jiao, was born in Yichun, Heilongjiang, China, but later became a South Korean citizen. (via sports.donga.com)