▲ An Byeong-hun
An Byeong-hun finished tied for fifth at the LIV Golf New York tournament, boasting a total purse of 30 million dollars, setting a new record for the best finish by a South Korean player in the series.
Playing the final fourth round today (August 10) at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, United States, An shot a 2-under-par with five birdies and three bogeys.
With a final score of 7-under-par, An wrapped up the tournament in a tie for fifth place.
He finished 9 strokes behind the winner, Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who finished at 16-under-par.
Having transferred to LIV Golf this year and serving as the captain of the newly formed Korean Golf Club team, An achieved his highest individual finish yet, surpassing his tie for ninth at the season opener in Saudi Arabia last February.
At the Saudi tournament, An became the first South Korean nationality player to break into the top 10 in LIV Golf, which launched in 2022, and raised his standing further six months later.
Following two consecutive 11th-place finishes in his previous outings, An continued his strong momentum in LIV Golf this week by setting a new personal best.
Song Young-han, who also joined LIV Golf this year and plays alongside An as a member of the Korean Golf Club, shaved a stroke off in the final round to finish tied for ninth at 4-under-par, becoming the second South Korean player to crack the top 10 in LIV Golf following An.
Moon Do-yeob finished tied for 45th at 10-over-par, while Kim Min-gyu ended up in 47th at 11-over-par.
Niemann grabbed the lead after firing a 7-under-par in the first round and held onto it through the final day to secure a wire-to-wire victory.
The individual winner's prize is 4 million dollars (approximately 5.64 billion won).
Following his victory at the Korean tournament held in Busan last May, Niemann claimed his second win of the season and his ninth career LIV Golf title.
Jon Rahm of Spain had to settle for a tie for 41st (8-over-par 292) at this tournament, but he secured the number one spot in the season points standings.
The player who finishes first in the individual season points receives a bonus prize of 18 million dollars.
Having triumphed at the Hong Kong tournament in March and the Mexico City tournament in April, Rahm was crowned the LIV Golf individual champion for the third consecutive year.
LIV Golf is heading toward its individual season finale in Indianapolis, United States, starting on the 20th, and will wrap up the season with the Team Championship the following week.
With LIV Golf facing survival uncertainties due to financial strains, discussions have also raised the possibility of the Team Championship being canceled.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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