SEOUL, After being suspended late in the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, South Korean veteran An Byeong-hun returned for the 2024 campaign with a new perspective on his career.
The 32-year-old has learned to appreciate what he has on his plate more — his young family, a solid playing career that has netted him nearly US$14 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour and a chance to add to that total on a regular basis. He also recognizes that there are more important things in life than golf.
An could have hit a jackpot of nearly $1.5 million at the Sony Open in Hawaii in Honolulu on Sunday (local time), but he came up short in a three-way playoff as Grayson Murray of the United States snatched the title with a shocking 38-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole. An had a four-foot birdie attempt to extend the playoff but missed the putt to the right, settling for second place with Keegan Bradley of the United States.
An has four professional wins worldwide in his career but is still looking for his first PGA
Tour title.
He’s getting close. An tied for fourth at last week’s season opener, The Sentry, and posted another top-five finish at the Sony Open.
An was suspended from Aug. 31 to Dec. 1 last year after testing positive for a banned substance found in over-the-counter cough medicine in South Korea. An acknowledged his mistake then and said he would take full responsibility for his action.
Asked on Sunday why he’s been playing so well on the heels of the long break, An responded, “I think, honestly, gratitude.”
“I tried hard the last couple months when I took some time off to try and look back why every round mattered a little bit too much. Our team came up with, golf don’t really matter that much,” An said. “Obviously, it means a lot to me and our family, but I tried to take a little bit of weight off my shoulder. I know I prepared pretty well in the offseason, worked pretty hard, so I think that the result shows. Even with the tough start today and the last couple weeks, I had some tough spells during the
round, but I always came back with some birdies at the end and to finish pretty strong. I think that was the biggest change I had over the last couple months. I think the results showed this week and last week. It’s been going pretty well.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency