Byeong Hun An told the one area he must improve to now become a top 10 player in the world

Add as preferred source on Google

It may have surprised many to have realised that Byeong Hun An won for the first time in nine years with his victory against Tom Kim at the Genesis Championship last week.

Byeong Hun An has enjoyed an extremely impressive year on the PGA Tour. He finished just outside the top 20 in the FedEx Cup standings; registering five top fives. He also finished in the top 25 on 12 occasions. The South Korean went on to win 1.5 points from his three matches on his return to the Presidents Cup team at Royal Montreal.

So perhaps it should not have come as a shock to see An winning the Genesis Championship on the DP World Tour, with the 33-year-old edging Tom Kim in a play-off.

Byeong Hun An told what would make him a top 10 player in the world

Understandably, An has been lauded for the driver he hit off the fairway on 15 on Sunday. An is fourth on the PGA Tour for driving distance this season. So his long game is certainly a big strength.

In fact, former European Tour player Jamie Spence believes that An has the talent to be one of the best players in the world. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, Spence claimed that there is just one area of his game which needs to improve significantly.

“I don’t think he’s a great putter, he’s not a great putter. Although, if you read his stats on the PGA Tour, they read pretty well, except from three, four feet, he’s not great from there; but the rest of his stats read quite well. But I’m not having his putting,” he said.

“It’s a long time [without winning], isn’t it, he’s come close on many occasions. He’s not won on the PGA Tour. It is down to his putting. I tell you what, if he could unlock, somehow, some freedom in his putting and putted a bit better, you’re talking top 10 in the world, easily in my book, the way he strikes it.”

The statistic which is so much more alarming than An’s putting numbers

An is definitely one of the best on the PGA Tour when it comes to his long game. He is 20th for strokes gained off the tee, while he is 31st for tee to green.

The problems appear to start once he gets around the green. An is 71st for strokes gained with his approach play, and 106th around the green. Meanwhile, he is 113th for putting.

The good news for An is that his putting has actually improved from the 2023 season, where he ranked 144th for strokes gained with the flat stick. But there is one particularly alarming statistic which An will surely be extremely worried about.

An was actually sixth for strokes gained around the green in 2023, so he has fallen exactly 100 places over the year. So while it may not be the area where An is performing worst, it is perhaps the biggest cause for concern heading into 2025.