We are not talking about Lamine Yamal, who is already 17, but about a Korean teenager who continues to attract attention in golf despite not yet being 16. This is Seonghyeon An, a 15-year-old player who became the first leader of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on Thursday, a tournament co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean PGA Tour held at the Namseoul Country Club course.
For a 15-year-old to take charge of operations in one of the world’s most important circuits is not common. Even though there are 72 players who have not been able to complete this first round due to a more than four-hour interruption caused by a thunderstorm. What he has already done is extraordinary, although on the other hand, it does not surprise those who have been closely following his career for some time.
Seonghyeon An has an astonishing record of precocity in the Korean PGA Tour. In 2022, he became, at 13 years and four months, the youngest golfer in history to make a cut. It was at the Bizplay Electronic Times Open. Additionally, last year he made history in his country’s golf, being the first Korean to win the R&A Junior Open, a tournament that among others was won by Patrick Reed in 2006. Similarly, last year he finished fifth in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, a tournament that opens the doors to the Masters wide for the winner.
As it stands, today’s achievement is the latest feat of the miracle child. It is still early to go beyond what he has already achieved, but only two amateur golfers have won a Korean PGA Tour tournament. He could be the third, although there is a long way to go. Seonghyeon An carded a 66 in the first round and leads by one. He made five birdies and a bogey before the storm break and finished with a birdie and six pars on the return.
He confessed to being inspired by this year’s Masters champion. “I have been watching the Grand Slam of Rory McIlroy recently,” he added. “I have been thinking a lot about wanting to be like him. It’s good to see that, even when you fail, you keep trying and eventually succeed.”
When asked if he felt his game had not been at its best lately, he replied: “My shots have been a bit unstable lately. I’ve been having trouble with good control. My tee shots and iron shots haven’t gone as I wanted, and I was missing a lot. I’ve been working quite a bit on my iron shots, and it’s starting to pay off.” Indeed…
