Byeonghun An "Tied 4th in Comeback Match"... Homa Achieves '2 Consecutive Wins'

Successful Return at PGA Season Opener Fortinet Championship
Homa Wins by 1 Stroke, Willett 2nd, Montgomery 3rd
Kim Seonghyun Ties for 36th in PGA Debut, Regrets Remain

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] An Byeong-hun (31) successfully returned to the U.S. Professional Golf (PGA) Tour after overcoming the pain of relegation to the 2nd-tier tour.

Ahn Byung-hoon is reading the putting line on the 16th hole on the final day of the Fortinet Championship. Napa (USA) = Getty Images / Multibits

On the 18th (local time), An Byeong-hun finished tied for 4th place (12-under 276) by adding 1-under par on the final day of the Fortinet Championship (total prize money $8 million), the opening event of the 2022-2023 PGA Tour season held at Silverado Resort and Spa (par 72, 7,123 yards) in Napa, California, USA. Overcoming the hardship of being relegated to the Korn Ferry (2nd-tier) Tour last year, he raised expectations for this season by finishing in the top 5 in his first tournament back on the regular tour this season.

An Byeong-hun started from 4th place, 2 strokes behind, and recorded 4 birdies and 3 bogeys. After a birdie on the 1st hole (par 4), he faltered with bogeys on the 4th and 8th holes but recovered the lost strokes with a birdie on the 9th hole (par 5). In the back nine, he made a birdie on the 11th hole (par 3), lost it with a bogey on the 13th hole (par 4), and secured a valuable birdie on the final 18th hole (par 5). His fairway hit rate was 35.71%, and his putts per hole were 1.750.

Defending champion Max Homa (USA) shot 4-under par to successfully defend his title for the second consecutive year (16-under 272). This was his 5th PGA Tour win overall, coming four months after the Wells Fargo Championship in May, with a winner's prize of $1.44 million (2 billion KRW).

Danny Willett (England) reduced 3 strokes but was satisfied with 2nd place (15-under 273). Taylor Montgomery (USA) surged with 8-under par to jump to 3rd place (13-under 275). Rookie Kim Seong-hyun (24) lost 1 stroke with 2 birdies, 1 bogey, and 1 double bogey, finishing tied for 36th place (6-under 282) in his PGA Tour debut.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.