Byeong Hun An aims for right side of history at The PLAYERS Championship

KOREA’S Byeong Hun An hopes to ride on the momentum of his first top-10 of the season as he attempts to get on the right side of THE PLAYERS Championship history this week.

The 33-year-old will make his seventh start in the Tour’s flagship US$25 million showpiece at The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida starting Thursday with the goal of joining compatriots K.J. Choi (2011) and Si Woo Kim (2017) as PLAYERS champions.

“It will be an honour. With K.J. and Si Woo winning this big event, I will be more than honoured to join them. I wish to have that prestigious trophy,“ said An, who is ranked No. 32 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

An’s confidence enjoyed a timely boost following a tied eighth finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill last weekend. He fought back from a first round 76 and produced some of his best golf again following a career best 2024 campaign which saw him qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship for the first time.

“I have played only in a few events (this season), and they were not great finishes. But I enjoyed last week. My shots are coming back. Amongst all, my putting was decent so I am happy. I hope last week will be the momentum for me to play some more good golf. If this week is somehow similar to last week, I hope to work my way into contention or in the top-10,“ he said.

In his six previous starts, An’s best result at the ultra-demanding Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass was a T26 finish in 2019. He missed the cut last year after adding a second round 80 to his opening 69, which proves the intricacies and challenges at this week’s venue. The Pete Dye design is also notorious for its finishing three holes, which includes the signature Par-3 17th Island Green that has claimed many victims, including An.

In 2021, the Korean hit four balls into the water en route to an octuple bogey 11 in the first round, which marked the second highest score on that hole in the event’s history. “I definitely do not have happy moments on that hole, so if I can save par (every day), that will be great. I need to avoid the water on this course,“ he said.

“This golf course is tough which is similar to last week. I need to focus on course management and prepare well. There is a combination of difficult and decent holes. It is quite fun to play here. The 17th hole is one where you can make birdie but it can go bad, and the 18th hole is hard.”

While An is still seeking for a first Tour victory, the powerful Korean returned to winning ways at the end of last year when he won the Genesis Championship on home soil for his second DP World Tour victory. A breakthrough in what is considered the strongest field in golf this week will be the dream for An.

“It is my goal to play THE PLAYERS every year. You compete against the best field and there is connection between this event and Korean players. It is the biggest event on the Tour with 125 great players which makes the competition very high. It is not officially one of the majors, but it is an event which is important for one’s career,“ he said.

Other Korean stars in this week’s elite field include Si Woo Kim, Tom Kim, Sungjae Im and K.H. Lee. World No. 1 and reigning FedExCup champion Scottie Scheffler will be aiming to win THE PLAYERS for an unprecedented third successive year after becoming the first player to repeat as champion last season.