SEOUL, After coming up just shy of his first career PGA Tour win with a playoff loss last month, South Korean player An Byeong-hun had very little time to wallow in self-pity. Once the Sony Open in Hawaii ended, the 32-year-old had a flight to catch and, more importantly, a young family to tend to.
And it is his wife and the couple’s two young children who have been keeping An grounded and helping him put things in perspective.
“Golf is obviously important and it has taken up a huge part of my life over the past several years. But it’s not that important,” An said in a video press conference with South Korean media Thursday morning, as he prepares to tee off at the Genesis Invitational in California this week. “Golf is far less important than my family. And putting my family first has helped me overcome disappointment more easily.”
And missing out on the win at the Sony Open, where he pushed a four-foot birdie putt that would have extended the playoff, rates as one of An’s biggest disappointments so far. T
he former European Tour Rookie of the Year is still in search of his first PGA Tour title after more than a decade as a pro.
But An believes his attempt to achieve a better work-life balance should keep him on the tour for a long time.
“If golf becomes too big in my life, I think I will lose my passion for it quickly, and I won’t be able to overcome adversity as well as I hope to,” An added. “You can’t play well every week in golf. All I can do is to do the best I can for 72 holes.”
An has had two top-five finishes in four tournaments so far this season, and both of them came in his first two starts in Hawaii. He took two weeks off after the Sony Open before resuming his season at Pebble Beach in the first week of February, and then played at the Phoenix Open last week.
An was well out of contention at those two recent tournaments, but he said his game is still in good shape.
“I don’t think I have to work on anything in particular. My swing feels pretty much the same as earlier in the year,” An said. “Th
e two courses I played in Hawaii suited my game really well, and I’ve been playing on different types of courses since. If I can play to my strengths and strike the ball well, I should have a good tournament this week.”
An will be playing at the famed Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, for the first time since 2017. He said his schedule finally allowed him to come to the prestigious tournament this time.
“I am pleased with the start that I had to this season in Hawaii,” An said. “It’s going to allow me to stay relaxed for the rest of the season. I was disappointed not to have won but it was still good to see my offseason work pay off.”
An said his goals for the season are to crack the top 30 in the world rankings and notch his first tour victory. He is currently No. 44 in the rankings.
If he stays inside the top 50 on April 7, he will qualify for the Masters, the season’s first major. He hasn’t played at Augusta National since missing the cut in 2020.
For now, An wants to stay in the
moment.
“There is still some time left before the Masters,” An said. “If I can get in, it’d be great. If not, I’ll just have to try harder.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency