Byeong-Hun An '2nd Place by 1 Stroke'..."Moving Day Spurt~" (Summary)

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

Ahn Byung-hoon is teeing off on the 7th 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 Byeonghun 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 strokes). Brendan Todd leads by one stroke (12 under par, 198 strokes). Rickie Fowler is in 3rd place (10 under par, 200 strokes), and defending champion Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) is in 4th place (9 under par, 201 strokes), engaging in a chase.

Byeonghun An is the player who caused a sensation by winning the 2015 European Tour major BMW PGA Championship. In 2016, as a top-ranked player in the world rankings, he participated in 14 PGA Tour events and ranked 111th in the money list, securing a 'direct ticket' immediately. Over five seasons and 114 matches, he finished 2nd three times but has yet to win, which has been frustrating. This year, too, his form is good, entering the 'top 10' five times in 18 events.

This time, moreover, the status is even more significant as it is 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 riding an upward trend. On this day, he combined 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 from the fringe. The double bogey on the 11th hole (par 3) was unfortunate. He explained, "My tee shot flew 30 yards farther and landed in the water," adding, "There was an error in club selection."

It is encouraging that he swept four consecutive birdies from holes 13 to 16 at the end. Byeonghun An expressed confidence about playing alongside Todd and Fowler in both the 3rd and 4th rounds, saying, "Both players have kind personalities, so I was able to play in a comfortable atmosphere like a practice round," and added, "Since it is a no-audience event, there is not much pressure." He also shared his strategy: "The course is difficult, so I will first keep the fairway and then aim for birdies."

Todd collected the Bermuda Championship and Mayakoba Classic trophies last November, which are included in the 2020 season, and is already looking at his third win. The leading group is fierce, with 'Number 3' Justin Thomas (USA) positioned 5th (8 under par, 202 strokes) in the competition. For Korea, Sungjae Im (22) is tied for 10th (6 under par, 204 strokes), and Seonghoon Kang (33, both CJ Logistics) is tied for 22nd (4 under par, 206 strokes). 'Number 1' Jon Rahm is only tied for 67th (5 over par, 215 strokes).