Ricom Suncoast Classic Victory in Third Tournament, Kim Seonghyun's Second 'Top 3', Previous Leader Gellerman Tied 6th
[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is Byeong-hoon An's (31, CJ Logistics, photo) 'comeback show.'
On the 21st (Korean time), at the Lakewood National Golf Club (par 71) in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, USA, the final day of the PGA Tour's Korn Ferry Tour (2nd tier) Ricoh Suncoast Classic (total prize money $750,000), An added 2 under par to complete a one-stroke come-from-behind victory (17 under par 267). After tying for 22nd at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in January and missing the cut at the Panama Championship, he reached the top in his third tournament of the season. The winner's prize money is $135,000 (16 million KRW).
Starting from a two-stroke tie for 3rd place, An recorded 4 birdies and 2 bogeys. After a birdie on the 6th hole (par 5) was offset by a bogey on the 7th hole (par 3), he changed the momentum with a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5). In the back nine, following 'stepping stone birdies' on the 14th and 16th holes, he finished the round with a bogey on the final 18th hole (par 4). Michael Gellerman (USA), who had been co-leading for 17 holes, collapsed with a double bogey on the 18th hole, confirming An's victory without a playoff. Gellerman lost 2 strokes and tied for 6th place (15 under par 269).
An showed stable play with an average drive of 305 yards, a fairway hit rate of 76.92%, and a greens in regulation rate of 72.22%. However, his putting average of 1.923 per hole was somewhat disappointing. An is the player who caused a sensation by winning the 2015 DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) major BMW PGA Championship. He moved to the PGA Tour from the 2016/2017 season and maintained consistent results until the 2019/2020 season.
However, in the 2020/2021 season, he participated in 29 tournaments but missed the cut in 15, losing his tour card. He is currently striving for a comeback on the Korn Ferry Tour. The Korn Ferry Tour conducts a re-ranking after the first 8 tournaments. If a player finishes in the 'top 25' by the end of the year, they earn the right to compete on the PGA Tour next year. Sung-hyun Kim (24, Shinhan Financial Group) improved by 5 strokes to jump to a tie for 2nd place (16 under par 268). This is his second 'top 3' finish of the season following 3rd place at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic.
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