Korda (neck) withdraws from next two events

Korea’s Byeong Hun An always knew he was going to give back to the game of golf which had opened up new sporting horizons in his life. It finally happened through the creation of the Ben An Junior Championship which the inaugural event was launched successfully at Orange Tree Country Club in Orlando, Florida over the weekend. An, 29, used his charitable allocation presented to every team member of the 2019 Presidents Cup to fund his own junior tournament with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), a non-profit organisation dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” said An. “As soon as I got into the Presidents Cup, AJGA was top of my list of where my funds would go.” An’s parents were Olympic medallists in table tennis but he grew up learning golf. When he was 15, they sent him to the IMG Academy at Bradenton and thus, began his junior career on the AJGA circuit which would shape his game and prepare him for life as a professional golfer. “The year I played in the Presidents Cup, some Korean juniors came over and spent a few days in my house (in Orlando) to practice and play together and it felt good to help the kids. I care if they do well and just to be able to help them, it meant a lot to me,” he said. “I played and practiced with them which was really fun. I really liked that I was able to give them information, give them little tips here and there and spent the whole day together from 7am to 8pm. If pros talked to me and helped me out when I was their age, it meant a lot. It’s good to be able to give back.” An said competing against kids his age and across different golf courses and states toughened him up as a junior golfer that he went on to produce a memorable win at the U.S. Amateur in 2009. “I started to play a lot of AJGA events, about 10 to 12 events a year. Back then, it was great fun. You see everyone who are your age and they are good golfers. It motivated me a lot as I wasn’t amongst the best ones. They were always better than me,” said An. “It helped as you play in different states, different courses. You learn a lot as you play against the best juniors. You learn so much, not just the golf but how to behave on the golf course and what you have to do. You also learn how to conduct interviews with the media. It helps overall, as a person and golfer. Definitely helped as I was able to win the U.S. Amateur.” As part of his overall support towards grassroot development, An, who won the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth in 2015 and has played on the PGA TOUR since 2016, intends to bring several Korean juniors over to the U.S. to compete in his event in the near future so they too will have the opportunity to widen their perspective of the game. “Due to Covid, it was hard to arrange for it this year. Hopefully I can have this event for as long as possible, 10 years, 15 years, who knows,” said An, who conducted a clinic with the participants during the event as part of his involvement. “I obviously want to see them play well when they turn pro and see them on the tour but just giving them the playing opportunity in my event, I think that means a lot to me as well, and hopefully for them too. They may not know it now but by competing, it helps in the long term and hopefully they become better golfers and better people.”

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MARATHON MONDAY AHEAD AT THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP Despite various weather delays across Thursday, Friday and Saturday competition, THE PLAYERS Championship made a 36-hole cut at 3:08 p.m. ET Sunday. Seventy-one players advanced to Round 3 at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course at 2-over or better. From there began a day-and-a-half race to crown the 48th PLAYERS Championship winner. Anirban Lahiri holds pole position overnight, standing 9-under total with seven holes remaining in the third round. Tom Hoge and Harold Varner III each stand a stroke back, with nine holes to play in Round 3. Sebastian Munoz, Paul Casey and Sam Burns stand two strokes back. The third round will resume at 8 a.m. ET Monday, and the field will be re-paired for the final round. With consistent winds in the 15 mph range expected for Monday on the water-logged Pete Dye track, the possibilities are endless for THE PLAYERS’ first Monday finish since Fred Funk’s triumph in 2005. TOUR VOYAGES TO VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP After the wacky week at TPC Sawgrass concludes, the PGA TOUR will head to Palm Harbor, Florida, for the Valspar Championship. Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead) will once again serve as the host venue, and the field is impressive with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Kevin Kisner, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Viktor Hovland and Bubba Watson. Sam Burns returns as the defending champion, and 500 FedExCup points will go to the winner. WOODS INDUCTED INTO WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME It was an emotional Wednesday evening last week as the new class of the World Golf Hall of Fame was inducted. Headlining the class was obviously Tiger Woods, who was introduced by his 14-year-old daughter Sam, who brought the crowd to its feet with her charisma, storytelling and emotional connection to her famous dad. Tiger also showed some rare emotion during his speech, focusing mainly on how he was raised, the challenges he faced as a junior, the lessons his mother and father taught him, and avoiding any references to his remarkable professional career and 15 majors. Also inducted were retired PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning and the late Marion Hollins, a visionary who became the first woman to develop prominent golf courses. VIDEO OF THE WEEK MIC CHECK “This is as tough as golf as you’re ever going to play,” Keegan Bradley said after shooting a 1-under 71 on Saturday, which he called one of the best rounds of his life. BY THE NUMBERS 10 – Shane Lowry holed the 10th ace all-time on the iconic island green and had an epic celebration with the fans. 43 – Hours it took the group of Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas to finish their first round at THE PLAYERS. Here’s how they handled the delays. 82 – Number of feet (plus another six inches) traversed by Jason Day’s par putt on 14. The second longest PLAYERS putt ever made (since ShotLink began in 2003) and second longest of this season behind Graeme McDowell’s 88-footer at the WM Phoenix Open. 349 – Millions of dollars that UNICEF is requesting for relief in Ukraine. The golf community is stepping up through GolfersforUkraine.com, and more than $600,000 had been donated through the site by Tuesday of last week. COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 Note: Entering THE PLAYERS Championship The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.

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