An Byeong-hun earns Tour Championship debut, thanks to zero expectations

An Byeong-hun will make a long-awaited debut at the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the Tour Championship, this week and he got to historical East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta by simply not expecting anything in return from the game.

An Byeong-hun his shot from the fifth tee during the first round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on June 6. [GETTY IMAGES]

An Byeong-hun will make a long-awaited debut at the FedExCup Playoffs finale, the Tour Championship, this week and he got to historical East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta by simply not expecting anything in return from the game.

The 32-year-old An is amongst nine first-timers taking their places in the elite 30-man field who will vie for the PGA TOUR’s ultimate prize where the FedExCup winner on Sunday will earn $25 million in bonus money. A total of $100 million is at stake.

“Getting to the Tour Championship was one of my goals of the season. I get to play this for the first time... I feel great thinking I achieved one of my goals,” he said.

For An, the financial rewards that come with good play is not a priority. Since making his name for himself as the youngest winner at the U.S. Amateur in 2009, he has embarked on a journey to be the best golfer that he can be, and the ride has taken him into unchartered territories during his early European Challenge Tour days before finding his eventual place in golf’s promised land.

There was never any doubt about An’s talent, thanks to the sporting genes of his parents who were both Olympic medalists in table tennis, for him to compete on the PGA Tour but it was probably a bold decision to start working with swing coach, Sean Foley at the end of 2020 — just after a career best season where he finished 33rd on the FedExCup — which gave him fresh impetus and a new mindset to become a better golfer.

Aside from remodelling his swing, Foley has been influential with An’s mental attitude and life in general that the Korean calls him the “Gandhi of Golf”. One of the key messages that has given the Asian star an edge was to expect nothing in return from the game.

“I don't really have expectations,” said An, who registered five top-10s this season including a runner-up finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii. “It (golf) doesn't owe me anything. There’s a fine line between expecting something to happen for your goals. Of course, everybody gets upset when you hit a bad shot and it’s because of expectations. So, I don’t expect anything. I just get out there and try to play good golf.

“If there's such a thing as mental improvements, I think it has gotten a little better. The technique has become better as I’ve worked pretty hard at it. That's why I'm seeing consistent golf over the last year.”

With a happy family life where he and wife Jamie have two young kids, An knows that remaining in the top-30 of the FedExCup rankings every year can only be possible through the hard work that he puts in with Foley. “We’ve put in a lot of work over the years, trying to change a few things in my golf swing where I lost my card (in 2021) and trying to work a little bit harder, trying to take care of myself a little bit better. I think everything has been paying off. Just working hard and seeing the potential, I've been able to play good golf this year and last year too. It has been very consistent,” he said.

“What gives me the edge is I think it's my talent because I'm not the hardest worker out here. I see so many guys who have worked harder than me. Yes, I do work hard, harder now. But when I was young, I was never the hardest working golfer. But as I get older, I guess it’s a little harder to keep that talent out.”

He concluded the BMW Championship, the penultimate Playoffs event last weekend, in 16th position on the FedExCup rankings and will begin the first round at East Lake on 2-under and eight strokes behind top-ranked Scottie Scheffler (10-under) in the staggered-scoring format. However, he won’t be going into attack mode from the get-go as the newly restored East Lake is expected to offer a difficult test.

“The course is tough, we won’t get to see a lot of birdies here. I don’t think I can go very aggressive. I think I need to ensure I play each day consistently to have a chance of chasing the leader,” said An, who will be part of the International Team to face the U.S. Team at the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month.

Another Korean, Im Sung-jae will be making his sixth straight appearance in the Tour Championship while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who is a two-time winner this season, starts in third place on 7-under and three strokes back of Scheffler on Thursday.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]