Byeong-Hun An '2nd Place by 1 Stroke'... "Moving Day Sprint at WGC~"

FedEx St. Jude Day 3: Todd Leads at 4 Under, Fowler 3rd, Koepka 4th in 'Chase'

Ahn Byung-hoon is teeing off on the 2nd hole on the third day of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational. Memphis, Tennessee, USA = Getty Images / MultiBits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] It is Byeong-hoon An's (29, CJ Logistics) 'Moving Day Spurt.'

On the 2nd (Korean time) at Southwind Golf Club in Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Par 70, 7,244 yards), during the third day of the FedEx St. Jude Invitational (total prize money $10.5 million), he shot 4-under par to leap to 2nd place (11-under par 199). Brendan Todd leads by one stroke (12-under par 198). Ricky Fowler is in 3rd place (10-under par 200), and defending champion Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) is in 4th place (9-under par 201), pursuing the leaders.

Byeong-hoon An moved from the European Tour to the PGA Tour. He caused a sensation by winning the 2015 BMW PGA Championship, and in 2016, as a top-ranked player in the world rankings, he secured a 'direct ticket' by ranking 111th in prize money across 14 PGA Tour events. Although he finished 2nd three times in 114 tournaments, he has yet to claim a victory, which has been frustrating. This year, his form is good, with five top-10 finishes in 18 events.

This tournament is even more prestigious as part of the World Golf Championships (WGC) series. After shooting 2-under par on the first day and 5-under par on the second day, he is gaining momentum. On this day, he recorded six birdies and one double bogey. He opened the scoring with a birdie on the 2nd hole (par 4), and on the 8th hole (par 3), he sank an 8.8-meter birdie putt from the fringe. Unfortunately, a tee shot on the 11th hole (par 3) landed in the water, resulting in a double bogey. He recovered his score with four consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 16th holes.

Todd is already aiming for his third win after sweeping the Bermuda Championship and Mayakoba Classic, which are included in the 2020 season, last November. Following Fowler and Koepka, world No. 3 Justin Thomas (USA) is positioned 5th (8-under par 202), making the competition for the title fierce. From Korea, Sung-jae Im (22) is tied for 10th (6-under par 204), and Sung-hoon Kang (33, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 22nd (4-under par 206). World No. 1 Jon Rahm is only tied for 67th (5-over par 215).