Another top-10 finish gives Byeong Hun An spring in his step ahead of PGA Championship

Korea’s Byeong Hun An will have a spring in his step and a hot putter in his bag as he prepares for a return to the PGA Championship, the year’s second major, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, this week.

The 32-year-old posted a solo third-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship on Sunday following a stellar final round of 5-under 66 at Quail Hollow Club, which earned him a fifth top-10 of the season. He carded an impressive seven birdies against two bogeys to finish a distant eight shots back of runaway winner Rory McIlroy, who claimed his 26th career PGA TOUR victory and fourth Wells Fargo Championship title.

“My game felt good all week,” said An. “Hit it pretty solid, I drove the ball really well and that's what you need on this golf course. Putted pretty decent this week, putted actually pretty good. I saved a lot of pars out there. It wasn't playing easy as the scores (show). I mean, apart from Rory's, it's a pretty tough swing out there. But I'm very happy with my game. I had a shaky start, but I grinded my way through and I made some birdies on the way in.”

An, a former U.S. Amateur champion, can’t wait to return to the PGA Championship as it will be his first appearance in the tournament since 2021. The PGA Championship holds great significance for Asian golf as Korea’s Y.E. Yang emerged as the first male Asian golfer to win a major at the 2009 edition at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

With An’s putting, which has often been his Achilles heels previously, being on point these days where he ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting at Quail Hollow and gained nearly eight strokes against the field, he is feeling rather upbeat to test his game against the world’s best at Valhalla. “Yeah, a lot (of confidence). Every week, I feel like my game's there, just need some looks here and there, make some putts,” he said.

“But putting definitely showed up this week. I like playing these type of golf courses. It's pretty tough, you've got to grind your way through and you can't really bail out on any of the shots. I also had a good finish last week, I've been playing well this season and this third place definitely helps.”

His solo third is off the back of a T4 outing in THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson last weekend, which extended an exciting run of form for An. He had lost his PGA TOUR card in 2021 before rebuilding his game under coach Sean Foley. While he is still seeking a first PGA TOUR win, his terrific form has seen him rise to sixth place in the FedExCup standings to solidify his bid to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship – which is exclusive to the top-30 – for the first time in his career.

Ranked a career-high 23rd in the world now, An is also a strong contender to qualify and represent Korea in the Paris Olympic Games in August and also make the International Team for the Presidents Cup against the U.S Team at Royal Montreal in Canada in September following a debut appearance at Royal Melbourne in Australia in 2019.