When Tom Kim came agonisingly close to holing out for eagle on the 11th hole during the final round of the Genesis Championship, Byeong Hun An would have been forgiven for thinking that he was going to be left with a little too much to do to catch his compatriot.
However, three birdies in the final four holes for An meant that when Tom Kim missed a makable putt on the last, the two would need a play-off to be separated in Incheon.
Ultimately, it would be An who got the victory. The 33-year-old got up and down on the last to make a birdie, while Kim could only make a bogey after hitting a really poor par putt.
Much of the drama had already taken place before the pair got to the green, with Kim forced to take an incredibly awkward stance for his third shot – which he then thinned through the back of the green.
Byeong Hun An suggests he got ‘very lucky’ during play-off with Tom Kim
An meanwhile, had endured a tense moment of his own, with his tee shot on the first additional hole flying incredibly close to the water hazard. It did stay dry, but An would admit after his victory that he could have had few complaints if he ended up finding the drink.
“I got very lucky with the tee shot. I hit a great tee shot, but it was a little too far right of where I wanted. It set up to hit a great lie and I hit it exactly where I wanted. It’s just a sudden death. Like I said yesterday, I needed a lot of luck and I feel like I got it today,” he said.
What An had never previously done in his career before the Genesis Championship
It is nine years since An secured arguably the biggest win of his career to date, as he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth back in 2015. He has endured plenty of testing times in the years since, with 2024 marking the first time he has played in all four majors in a single year since 2017.
But it is not just the victory itself that will mean a lot to An. He also achieved something which he has never done in his career before, with the South Korean losing all three of the previous play-offs he has been in on either the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour.
| Event | Result |
| 2016 Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Lost to Brian Stuard |
| 2018 Memorial | Lost to Bryson DeChambeau |
| 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii | Lost to Grayson Murray |
| 2024 Genesis Championship | Won vs Tom Kim |
As soon as his tee shot found dry land on 18 on Sunday, An seized the initiative and never allowed Kim to get back into the battle.
He will certainly be hoping that it is not another nine years before his next victory on the main tours.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
