Family presence pushes Korea’s An in chase for first PGA TOUR title

Korea’s Byeong Hun An won’t have to look too far for inspiration as he seeks his maiden PGA TOUR title at The Sentry after concluding the third round on Saturday in tied third place, just two back of leader Chris Kirk.

Buoyed by the presence of his family and a fresh mindset, An posted a third round 5-under 68 at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui to stay in contention in the 2024 season-opening event which is offering a US$20 million prize fund. He ended the day alongside Jordan Spieth (67) and Xander Schauffele (65) on 19-under, with Kirk shooting a 66 for the 54-hole lead. Akshay Bhatia ended the day in second place following a 66.

An notched six birdies, including one on the last hole, to offset a lone bogey as he seeks a long-awaited victory that has eluded him after finishing runner-up four times in his PGA TOUR career. Compatriot Sungjae Im endured a frustrating a 73 which included a double bogey to fall out of contention.

“It’s nice to start like this. Last year, I started pretty good at the Sony Open. This year I’m starting pretty good here so far through round three. Hopefully, I can get one more round out of me,” said An.

“Hopefully, the best of the week is left for me. It’s got to be one step at a time. The course, you’ll get plenty of chances out there. I don’t know what the forecast is like tomorrow, but hopefully the wind blows up a little bit, so when you shoot a low score you get a chance to win.”

He took immense joy in the presence of his wife and two young children, who were out on the golf course supporting him. “It’s amazing. It’s nice. They matter. Me and my coach (Sean Foley) always say golf means something, but it doesn’t matter as much as them. To be able to see him on the golf course and off the course after the round and stuff, it’s priceless. I love having them here this week,” he added.

“We worked hard, but it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean maybe you deserve it or anything, it just follows with it. So, just got to do what I need to do, what I need to control. Just got to be have gratitude, that’s what we say, can’t really show any emotions out there. It’s golf, like I say, it doesn’t matter. Family matters. So, yeah, so that’s the mindset I’ve been having.”

Kirk birdied the last hole to move clear of the chasing packs and put himself in prime position to claim his sixth PGA TOUR title. However, he knows the chasing pack can still pull the rug from under his feet with low scores being posted all week.

“I may go play great tomorrow, and somebody may play a little bit better. There’s only so much control you have over that. So, you just kind of stay with your process and just go do it,” said Kirk, whose last victory was last February. “When it’s a shoot-out like this and the scores are really low you just stay aggressive and just go do your thing.”

Third-Round Notes – Saturday, January 6, 2024

Weather: Partly cloudy. High of 81. Wind ENE 12-14, with gusts to 22 mph.

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