Ex-Cal Golfer Byeong Hun An Just Misses in Bid for 1st PGA Tour Victory
Byeong Hun An got so close to his first-ever PGA Tour event victory on Sunday.
The 32-year-old, who played at Cal for one year in 2011, lost in a three-way playoff at the Sony Open at Honolulu after firing a final-road 64 at Waialae Country Club.
Grayson Murray won on the first playoff hole, sinking a 40-foot birdie putt to secure the first prize of $1,494,000. Murray shot 63 and 64 on Friday and Saturday, then finished his Sunday round of 67 with a birdie on 18.
An missed a five-foot putt on the playoff hole that could have forced another hole.
“It just feels very disappointing,” An said. “It came down to the last putt, but obviously golf is played in 72 holes. I made some silly mistakes out there yesterday, today . . . over the last four days.”
An and Keegan Bailey, who shared second place, each took home $738,700.
An had an up-and-down start to Sunday’s final round, sandwiching bogeys on Nos. 1 and 3 around a birdie on the second hole. But played flawless golf after that with birdies on 6 and 8 before closing the front nine with an eagle.
He added birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 and wedged his way into the playoff by making birdie on the par-5 18th hole.
On the first playoff hole, An landed his shot in the thick rough short of the green the 18th green and pitched within 4 feet of the hole. But Murray made his birdie putt and An missed a short putt that could have forced a second playoff hole. Bradley missed his 18-foot birdie putt.
“I didn’t have the best start today, started bogey-birdie-bogey. But I hung in there and had some good run in the middle and finished off with pretty good birdies at the end,” he said.
Overall, it’s been a great start to the season for An, the world’s 52nd-ranked player. He was fourth a week ago at The Sentry in Maui, and he now has 12 career top-5 finishes.
“I had a solid week. I played well all-around, drove it well, putted decent on the green,” An said. “Fourth last week, second this week . . . obviously it’s very disappointing how I finished but yeah, it’s looking good so far.”
An has three international tournament victories but has yet to win in 182 PGA Tour events.
Murray’s victory earns him a spot in the Masters for the first time and berths in the $20 million signature events this season.
Cover photo of Byeong Hun An reacting after the playoff by Kyle Terada, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo