Golf IQ Open Championship Player Guide - 2021

Byeong Hun An (bio)

Byeong Hun An Bio - (C) GOLFstats Inc. 2020

ELIGIBILITY: The first 50 players on the OWGR for Week 21, 2024.]

Born in Seoul, Republic of Korea, An is the son of Ahn Jae-Hyung and Jiao Zhimin, both of whom were table tennis medalists in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. An moved to the United States in December 2005 to attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he was also known as Ben An.

In August 2009, at age 17, An became the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur when he defeated Ben Martin, 7 & 5, in the 36-hole final at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., surpassing the previous year's champion Danny Lee. He made his PGA Tour debut in March 2010 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a week before playing in the Masters. An made the cut at the 2010 RBC Heritage and was one shot off the lead during the second round before finishing the tournament T-59th. At the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay, An became the first defending champion to advance to the semifinals since Tiger Woods in 1996. After An took a 3-up lead after nine holes, his opponent, David Chung, rallied to win, 1-up. He also played in the 2011 U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills but withdrew after the first round of stroke play.

When An turned professional in 2011, he followed advice from Wally Uihlein, Titleist's CEO, to play in Europe and earn a spot on the Challenge Tour via qualifying school.

2012 Notes: An played on the Challenge Tour, and through 18 events, finished in the money 11 times with two top-10s. His best finish was T-8th at the Allianz Open de Lyon, where he earned $17,665. He finished 82nd on the Order of Merit.

2013 Notes: Played on the Challenge Tour, and in 22 events, finished in the money 17 times with two top-10s. His best result was T-2nd at the Scottish Hydro Challenge. He earned $64,396 at the event and was ranked 25th on the Order of Merit.

2014 Notes: Played on the Challenge Tour and in 21 events, won the Rolex Trophy, and had eight top-10 finishes. He finished third on the Order of Merit with earnings of $120,107. An also played in eight European Tour events, with a best finish of T-18th at the Hong Kong Open.

2015 Notes: Earned his biggest victory to date at the BMW PGA Championship, with a tournament-record 21-under-par total for a six-shot win. The victory moved him from 132nd to a then career-high 54th in the Official World Golf Ranking. It also helped open the doors for him to play the rest of the majors and WGC events. He added another victory at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September, then focused on the rest of the season on the European Tour. He had a good run in the Series final, finishing 4th at the Turkish Airlines Open, T-19th at the WGC-HSBC Champions, and T-3rd at the BMW Masters. An closed the season with a T-4th at the DP World Tour Championship to finish seventh in the Race to Dubai, the third-highest showing by a rookie. He also earned the honor of being the first Korean to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award.

2016 Notes: Started the year by finishing 8th at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, then posted a T-5th result at Abu Dhabi and T-4th at the Dubai Desert Classic. He missed the cut at the Masters, but finished T-2nd at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, losing a playoff to Brian Stuard. Finished the year with a 3rd-place result at the KLM Open. Finished on the PGA Tour playing 14 events with two top-10s, earning $926,797, which placed 112th on the money list. He became eligible to play the rest of 2016 on the PGA Tour with his runner-up finish at New Orleans and was able to gain membership for 2017. Represented South Korea at the Olympics, where he finished T-11th in the 60-man field. Played in 16 events on the European Tour, with six top-10s, and finished 36th in the Race to Dubai.

2017 Notes: An played in 22 PGA Tour events, making 17 cuts. He was in the top 10 three times: T-5th at the AT&T Byron Nelson, 6th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and T-8th at the Wells Fargo Championship. Finished 102nd in the FedExCup race.

2018 Notes: Played in 24 PGA Tour events, making 19 cuts with four top-10 finishes. He was 42nd in the final FedExCup standings. He was T-6th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and T-5th at the Honda Classic, where he finished four shots out of the playoff. He posted his second runner-up finish of his PGA Tour career (lost in a playoff at the 2016 Zurich) at the Memorial when he lost a playoff to Bryson DeChambeau on the second hole. At the RBC Canadian Open, he finished T-2nd, his second runner-up result of the season. His last top-10 of the year was a T-8th in his home country at the Shinhan Donghae Open.

2019 Notes: Played in 22 PGA Tour events, making 19 cuts with three top-10 finishes. Ranked 53rd in the final FedExCup standings. His best finish was 3rd at the Wyndham Championship, where he played his first 68 holes bogey-free but had two down the stretch (on 15 & 16) to finish two strokes behind J.T. Poston. Shot a bogey-free 66 in the final round of the Valero Texas Open to finish T-7th. Closed with rounds of 69-68 to finish T-10th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, five strokes behind champion Francesco Molinari. After shooting 72-70-71 at Wells Fargo, An withdrew with a neck injury. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship but finished T-16th at the U.S. Open, and the neck has been fine since. In the FedExCup Playoffs, he finished T-38th at the Northern Trust and T-28th at the BMW Championship. He played all five matches in his first Presidents Cup and posted a 1-2-2 record, losing his singles match to Webb Simpson, 2 & 1.

2020 Notes: Played in 22 PGA Tour events, making 15 cuts with five top-10 finishes. Ranked 33rd in the FedExCup standings. At the Sanderson Farms, he opened with two rounds of 66s and led by two at that point. He shot 70-69 on the weekend and finished 3rd, a stroke back of the Munoz/Im playoff. Finished T-6th at The CJ Cup, low Korean, and T-8th at the Zozo Championship. Finished T-9th at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T-4th at the Honda Classic despite opening with a first-round 76 that placed him T-132nd. He followed with rounds of 66-68-67 to finish three strokes behind winner Sungjae Im. After the break, his best finish was T-12th at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and BMW Championship. In the FedExCup playoffs, he missed the cut at Northern Trust and finished T-12th at the BMW Championship. Competed for the International Team at the Presidents Cup, making his debut at the event and posting a 1-2-2 record. He lost his singles match to Webb Simpson 2 & 1.

2021 Notes: Played in 29 PGA Tour events, making 14 cuts with one top-ten finish. He was 164th in the FedEx Cup race, losing his PGA Tour card. His best finish was T-8th at the American Express.

2022 Notes: Played in 20 Korn Ferry Tour events, making ten cuts with two top-ten finishes. In his third event of the season, he got his first career victory in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event at the LECOM Suncoast Classic. It was his first worldwide win with rounds of 65-66-67-69 for a 17-under 267 and a one-shot victory over MJ Daffue, Ben Griffin, Scott Harrington, and S.H. Kim. Birdies at the par-5 14th and the par-4 16th, with the latter coming via a 55-foot putt, negated a failed sand save attempt and bogey on the 72nd hole. With a second-round 62 at the Veritex Bank Championship, An went on to finish T-2nd, two shots back of winner Tyson Alexander. He went on to finish 13th in the Korn Ferry Tour eligibility list and return to the PGA Tour.

2023 Notes: Played in 31 PGA Tour events, making 24 cuts with four top-ten finishes. He was 44th in the FedEx Cup race. At the Fortinet Championship, the first event of the season. An shot 66-68 to get into contention, but with rounds of 71-71, finished T-4th, four shots back of winner Max Homa. It was his first top-five on the PGA Tour since the 2020 Honda Classic. He was T-6th at the Valero Texas Open, five shots back of winner Corey Conners. An shot a first-round 61 at the Genesis Scottish Open to lead, he went on to finish T-3rd, five shots back of the winner Rory McIlroy. His finish earned him a spot in the 151st Open Championship, he finished T-23rd. At the Wyndham Championship, he shot 65-67 and found himself finishing T-2nd, two shots back of winner Lucas Glover. In the FedEx Playoff, he was T-37th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and 43rd at the BMW Championship. Unfortunately, The PGA Tour has issued a three-month suspension to Ben An for violating its anti-doping policy. He tested positive for a substance prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency contained in an over-the-counter cough medicine that can be purchased in his native country of Korea. "In August, I was suffering from a head cold and cough. As my symptoms worsened, my mother suggested I take a widely available medication from Korea that had helped her through a similar ailment," An said in a statement posted to his Instagram account. "I took this medicine without checking its contents first, only to later find that it contained a substance that is prohibited under the PGA Tour's anti-doping program."

2024 Notes: He returned to the PGA Tour at The Sentry and finished 4th, three shots back of winner Chris Kirk. The next week lost a playoff to Grayson Murray at the Sony Op0en in Hawaii. Shot 66-65 over the weekend to finish T-4th at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, three shots back of the winner Taylor Pendrith. The next week he was 3rd at the Wells Fargo, 8 shots back of the winner Rory McIlroy.

- World Rank: 36 - Born: Sep 17, 1991, Seoul, South Korea - Age: 33y 3m 26d Back to Field

Click on any table column header to sort by that column
Outlook: Always does well in Florida.
This Past Year: Always been a consistent player, did well again in 2020 but missed seven cuts which is high for him. Played his best golf before the break for COVID-19 in March.
Past Performance Results and Statistics
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (last 10 years) Open Championship Home Page
YearDateCoursePlaceScoreToPar1st2nd3rd4thMoney
2024Jul 21,2024Royal Troon Golf ClubT13285175716871$248,667
2023Jul 23,2023Royal Liverpool Golf ClubT23284073706972$121,500
2022Jul 17,2022Old Course at St. AndrewsDNP
2021Jul 18,2021Royal St. George's Golf ClubT26277-367707367$79,821
2019Jul 21,2019Royal Portrush G.C.T32285173677075$56,278
2018Jul 22,2018Carnoustie Golf LinksT51288473716678$27,161
2017Jul 23,2017Royal Birkdale G.C.CUT1488777100$0
2016Jul 17,2016Royal Troon Golf ClubT59293970707677$21,035
2015Jul 20,2015Old Course at St. AndrewsCUT1462747200$0
OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP STATS (All)
Played In10
Rounds Played34
Avg Place53
Scoring Avg71.79
Low Round66
Wins0
Top 10s0
Top 25s2

Tournament Record (last 12 months) PGA TOUR Record - European Tour Record
DateNameTourCoursePlaceScoreToPar1st2nd3rd4thMoney
Jan 12,2025Sony Open in HawaiiPGAWaialae C.C.CUT138-2726600$0
Jan 5,2025 SentryPGAPlantation at KapaluaT32276-1670706967$118,000
Oct 27,2024Genesis Champ EURJack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea1271-1767667167$680,000
Sep 22,2024BMW PGA Champ EURWentworth Club (West )T18277-1173697065$98,175
Sep 1,2024Tour Champ PGAEast Lake G.C.T21278-669716969$0
Aug 25,2024BMW Champ PGACastle Pines Golf ClubT13283-572697171$344,111
Aug 18,2024FedEx St. Jude Champ PGATPC SouthwindT33276-469706869$103,429
Jul 21,2024Open Champ MAJORRoyal Troon Golf ClubT13285175716871$248,667
Jun 23,2024Travelers Champ PGATPC River HighlandsWD000000$0
Jun 16,2024U.S. OpenMAJORPinehurst C.C. (No 2)CUT15212747800$0
Jun 9,2024Memorial TournamentPGAMuirfield Village G.C.T22292471737375$200,200
May 19,2024PGA Champ MAJORValhalla Golf ClubT43278-671677268$48,969
May 12,2024Wells Fargo Champ PGAQuail Hollow Club3275-970687166$1,360,000
May 5,2024THE CJ CUP Byron NelsonPGATPC Craig RanchT4264-2066676665$380,000
Apr 22,2024RBC HeritagePGAHarbour Town G.L.67286268667280$41,800
Apr 14,2024MastersMAJORAugusta National G.C.T16290270737275$310,000
Apr 7,2024Valero Texas OpenPGATPC San Antonio (Oaks )CUT1495747500$0
Mar 17,2024 Players Champ PGATPC SawgrassCUT1495698000$0
Mar 10,2024Arnold Palmer InvitationalPGABay Hill ClubT8284-471697668$579,000
Mar 4,2024Cognizant ClassicPGAPGA National Champion T21274-1067717165$87,750
Feb 18,2024Genesis InvitationalPGARiviera C.C.T16277-767727068$329,000
Feb 11,2024WM Phoenix OpenPGATPC ScottsdaleT66283-170687570$18,392
Feb 4,2024AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AmPGAPebble Beach Golf LinksT31209-77171670$106,625
Jan 14,2024Sony Open in HawaiiPGAWaialae C.C.T2263-1767646864$738,700
Tour Statistics (Last 12 Mo)
Events Played24
Rounds Played83
Avg Place39
Scoring Avg69.99
Low Round0
Wins1
Top 10s5
Top 25s13
Recent, Major and Career Results
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
Past 12 Months 22 40.18 0 5 22.7% 12 54.5% 17 77.3% 36 48.0% 75 47 62.7% 9 40.9% 70.01 $5,871,643
All Career Majors 31 63.97 0 0 0.0% 6 19.4% 17 54.8% 15 15.6% 96 23 24.0% 15 48.4% 72.40 $1,526,034
Total Career Results 202 52.60 0 27 13.4% 60 29.7% 140 69.3% 256 39.1% 655 348 53.1% 92 45.5% 70.70 $19,281,095
Note: All tables can be sorted by column clicking on the column headers. For "avg place", a missed cut or wd counts as a place of 100. "Within 5" is the number of times the player has entered the final round within 5 shots of the lead.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Game: Didn’t show much improvements in 2020

But he did slack off on several important categories. Worst was putting, was 176th in SG Putting and he went down to 130th in Greens in Regulation.

Best and Worst Courses and Tournaments: Like him at the Honda Classic, WM Phoenix Open and Arnold Palmer. So best to pick him earlier in the year.

Career Performance per Month
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
January 10 42.10 0 3 30.0% 4 40.0% 9 90.0% 19 48.7% 39 26 66.7% 3 30.0% 69.80 $2,134,372
February 15 30.07 0 3 20.0% 7 46.7% 15 100.0% 29 49.2% 59 41 69.5% 3 20.0% 69.60 $1,576,965
March 25 49.60 0 4 16.0% 6 24.0% 19 76.0% 20 26.7% 75 29 38.7% 11 44.0% 71.80 $2,043,639
April 21 59.38 0 3 14.3% 6 28.6% 12 57.1% 17 32.7% 52 24 46.2% 11 52.4% 71.70 $1,290,641
May 21 53.71 0 5 23.8% 7 33.3% 14 66.7% 29 41.4% 70 39 55.7% 12 57.1% 70.30 $3,278,950
June 27 62.56 0 1 3.7% 9 33.3% 15 55.6% 28 34.1% 82 38 46.3% 13 48.1% 71.50 $2,001,037
July 25 63.24 0 2 8.0% 4 16.0% 14 56.0% 22 28.2% 78 31 39.7% 14 56.0% 71.20 $1,796,912
August 22 42.45 0 2 9.1% 7 31.8% 18 81.8% 41 51.3% 80 45 56.3% 7 31.8% 69.80 $2,595,799
September 8 41.88 0 2 25.0% 3 37.5% 6 75.0% 16 57.1% 28 21 75.0% 4 50.0% 69.40 $948,848
October 18 48.94 0 2 11.1% 5 27.8% 14 77.8% 25 39.1% 64 41 64.1% 7 38.9% 70.30 $1,348,530
November 9 68.67 0 0 0.0% 2 22.2% 4 44.4% 10 38.5% 26 13 50.0% 6 66.7% 70.70 $265,402
December 1 99.99 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 2 0 0.0% 1 100.0% 71.50 $0
TOTALS202 - 0 27 13% 60 30% 140 69% 256 39% 655 348 53% 92 14% - $19,281,095

Career Performance per Season
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
Spring 67 53.96 0 12 17.9% 19 28.4% 45 67.2% 66 33.5% 197 92 46.7% 34 50.7% 71.20 $6,613,230
Summer 74 56.81 0 5 6.8% 20 27.0% 47 63.5% 91 37.9% 240 114 47.5% 34 45.9% 70.80 $6,393,749
Fall 35 52.40 0 4 11.4% 10 28.6% 24 68.6% 51 43.2% 118 75 63.6% 17 48.6% 70.20 $2,562,780
Winter 26 37.38 0 6 23.1% 11 42.3% 24 92.3% 48 48.0% 100 67 67.0% 7 26.9% 69.70 $3,711,337
TOTALS202 - 0 27 13% 60 30% 140 69% 256 39% 655 348 53% 92 14% - $19,281,095
Spring = March, April, May - Summer = June, July, August - Fall = September, October, November - Winter = December, January, February

Career Performance per Swing
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
West Coast Swing 17 42.29 0 3 17.6% 6 35.3% 16 94.1% 29 43.9% 66 45 68.2% 3 17.6% 70.20 $1,366,050
Florida Swing 25 50.24 0 4 16.0% 7 28.0% 18 72.0% 25 29.4% 85 38 44.7% 10 40.0% 71.40 $2,086,486
New England Courses 18 72.39 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 9 50.0% 19 36.5% 52 21 40.4% 9 50.0% 71.10 $272,539
Texas Swing 18 43.72 0 5 27.8% 7 38.9% 15 83.3% 28 51.9% 54 31 57.4% 11 61.1% 70.00 $1,764,842
Desert Courses 8 39.88 0 3 37.5% 5 62.5% 6 75.0% 18 62.1% 29 23 79.3% 4 50.0% 68.80 $761,664
Ocean and Sea Courses 21 65.48 0 0 0.0% 1 4.8% 13 61.9% 16 23.5% 68 23 33.8% 8 38.1% 72.20 $578,478
TOTALS107 - 0 15 14% 26 24% 77 72% 135 38% 354 181 51% 45 13% - $6,830,059

Career Performance per Grass Type
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
Bent Greens 89 51.69 0 9 10.1% 27 30.3% 63 70.8% 121 40.1% 302 160 53.0% 40 44.9% 70.60 $7,739,830
Bermuda Greens 80 51.48 0 16 20.0% 27 33.8% 54 67.5% 104 43.0% 242 136 56.2% 41 51.3% 70.40 $8,490,935
Paspalum Greens 8 58.63 0 0 0.0% 1 12.5% 5 62.5% 10 38.5% 26 15 57.7% 3 37.5% 70.40 $231,919
Poa Greens 21 51.86 0 2 9.5% 5 23.8% 17 81.0% 21 28.0% 75 35 46.7% 5 23.8% 71.50 $2,801,875
Fescue Greens 3 99.99 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 6 0 0.0% 3 100.0% 74.30 $0
TOTALS201 - 0 27 13% 60 30% 139 69% 256 39% 651 346 53% 92 14% - $19,264,560

Career Performance per Short and Long Courses
Events Played Avg Place Wins Top 10s%Top 10 Top 25s%Top 25 Cuts Made%Cuts Made Rds in 60s %Rds in 60sRds Played Rds Undr Par%Rds Undr Par Within 5%Within 5 Scoring Avg Money
Less Than 7000 yards 11 69 0 0 0% 1 9% 6 55% 17 55% 31 22 71% 5 46% 70.00 $271,727
Greater Than 7400 yards 74 58 0 9 12% 18 24% 48 65% 64 28% 229 101 44% 33 45% 72.00 $7,449,476