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LIV Golf 2026 New Player Analysis: Byeong Hun An

Jan 19, 2026 - 10:39 AMWritten by: Matt Vincenzi

LIV Golf has made a significant offseason move, adding South Korean standout Byeong Hun An to captain the new Korean Golf Club team. 

PLAYER BIO 

Age: 34 

Nationality: South Korean 

Data Golf Ranking: 103rd 

OWGR: 98th 

Career Wins: 5 (2 DP World Tour wins: 2015 BMW PGA Championship, 2024 Genesis Championship; 1 Korn Ferry Tour win: 2022 LECOM Suncoast Classic; 1 Challenge Tour win: 2014 Rolex Trophy; 1 Korean Tour win: 2015 Shinhan Donghae Open.)

Career Highlights: An became the youngest winner in U.S. Amateur history at age 17 in 2009. He won the prestigious BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth as a rookie in 2015, setting a tournament scoring record at 21-under and winning by six strokes. An has represented the International Team at the Presidents Cup in 2019 and 2024. He also represented South Korea in the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.  

Best Major Finish: T13 at the 2024 Open Championship (Royal Troon).  

2025 Results: Eight top-25 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a T8 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Signature Event) and a T6 finish at the RBC Canadian Open. He also finished T21 at The Masters.  

Major Eligibility in 2026: As of January 2026, An is not exempt into any major championships. However, the top 100 players in the OWGR are typically invited by the PGA of America. Whether An, currently ranked 98th, can maintain his ranking this season remains to be seen. 

2025 PGA TOUR RANKS 

Scoring Average: 71.17 (124th)
Driving Distance: 306.6 (56th)
Driving Accuracy: 54.35% (164th)
Greens in Regulation: 65.76% (128th)
Birdie Average (per tournament): 3.83 (108th)
Scrambling: 59.61% (88th)
Strokes Gained: Approach: -0.32 (158th)
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee: +0.39 (23rd)
Strokes Gained: Around the Green: +0.18 (38th)
Strokes Gained: Putting: -0.40 (165th)  

STATISTICAL PROFILE 

Although he had a down year in 2025, An has been a very good ball-striker throughout his career. The greatest strength of his game is power off the tee. In 2024, he ranked 3rd on the PGA Tour in driving distance and 22nd in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. He's a solid iron player but has generally ranked in the middle of the pack in Strokes Gained: Approach on the PGA Tour.  

In addition to his off the tee prowess, An also thrives when chipping and pitching. In the 2022-23 season, he ranked 6th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. The biggest flaw for the South Korean has been the putter. He had a hot season with the flatstick in 2022-23, when he ranked 4th in putting average and putts per round on the PGA Tour, but it's been a major area of weakness over the course of the past decade.

Statistical lookalike: Dean Burmester 

INTERESTING FACTS 

  • He moved to the United States in December 2005 to attend the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Florida. 

  • His parents are Olympic medalists in table tennis (father for South Korea, mother for China) from the 1988 Seoul Games. 

  • At the 2010 U.S. Amateur, he became the first defending champion to advance to the semifinals since Tiger Woods in 1996. 

  • In August 2014, he won his first Challenge Tour event, making him the first Korean player to win on the Challenge Tour. 

  • He was only the second player to win both the U.S. Amateur and the BMW PGA Championship-the DP World Tour’s flagship tournament, after Arnold Palmer. 

  • He is married to South Korean professional golfer Oh Ji-hyun. The couple began dating in 2021 and were married in December 2022. 

  • He lost in a playoff on the PGA Tour on three occasions – one of which came at the 2018 Memorial Tournament won by Bryson DeChambeau.  

  • He made a hole-in-one at the 2020 PGA Championship.

BOTTOM LINE 

Byeong Hun An is an important signing for LIV Golf as one of the most popular Asian players in the world. The range of outcomes for An is wide, as he can be quite boom-or-bust on a week-to-week basis. At his best, An can immediately threaten the top 14 of the Individual Standings. With his success and experience in Asia, the South Korea should be a strong fit for multiple LIV Golf tournaments on the 2026 calendar.

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