Who is Byeong-hun An? A closer look at the life and career of the Korean golfer

South Korean player Byeong-hun An closed his first round at the Genesis Scottish Open with an excellent 9-under 61. He is the provisional leader of the tournament, with the day's play still to conclude.

Byeong-hun An has had an interesting career linked to golf, although his best results at the professional level have not been at the highest level.

He was born in South Korea in 1991 (31 years old) to Olympic medalists in Table Tennis Ahn Jae-Hyung (Korean) and Jiao Zhimin (Chinese).

He became involved in golf at a very young age. At the age of 15, he moved to the United States to attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

At the age of 17, he won the 2009 US Amateur Championship, becoming the youngest player of all time to win such a prestigious tournament. Less than a year later, he made his debut on the PGA Tour.

After a successful amateur career, which involved another great performance at the 2010 US Amateur Championship (semifinalist), Byeong-hun An turned professional in 2011. Almost immediately, he earned a spot on the European Challenge Tour.

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Byeong-hun An's professional career

Byeong-hun An's main sporting results as a professional have come in Europe. He won the 2014 Rolex Trophy, a Challenge Tour tournament. The following year he already played on the European Tour (now DP World Tour).

Between 2012 and 2019, An played 67 Challenge Tour tournaments, with 48 cuts passed and 11 Top 10s, in addition to the aforementioned victory.

An at the 2023 Genesis Scottish Open (Image via Getty).

On the main European circuit, he had good results right away. He won the prestigious 2015 British PGA Championship, becoming the first player to win this tournament having triumphed in the US Amateur, since Arnold Palmer.

Until 2021, he had played 94 DP World Tour tournaments, with 70 cuts passed and 13 Top 10s, in addition to the aforementioned victory.

In 2015, he won his third victory as a professional and his first in Asia. It came at the Shinhan Donghae Open, held at the Bear's Best Cheongna course in Nara, Japan, then corresponding to the Korean Tour.

Byeong-hun An won his PGA Tour card in 2016, although he had played a few tournaments in previous years. At this level, he has participated in 175 events, making the cut in 119.

His best result has been finishing runner-up, which he has accomplished three times. He was the runner-up at the 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the 2018 Memorial Tournament, and the 2018 Canadian Open. He also archives 17 other Top 10s.

In parallel, he has played the Korn Ferry Tour, where he has had one victory (LECOM Suncoast Classic of 2022). It was specifically three tournaments in 2020 and 20 in 2022, with 11 cuts passed and a Top 10 added to his victory at this level.

An represented his country at the 2016 Olympic Games. He is currently ranked number 58 in the Official World Golf Ranking.