By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun has secured a place on the top European tour for next season after his former employer went bankrupt.
An finished tied for eighth in the final stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School at Infinitum Golf's Lakes Course in Tarragona, Spain, on Wednesday (local time) with a six-round total of 28-under 400. The top 15 and ties earned cards for the tour for the 2027 season. An shot in the 60s in all six rounds, capped by a five-under 66 in the final round that included six birdies and one bogey.
An Byeong-hun of South Korea hits a tee shot during the final round of LIV Golf Korea at Asiad Country Club in the southeastern city of Busan, in this May 31, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)
The 35-year-old South Korean is one of four former DP World Tour winners who captured their tour cards for 2027, joined by Tom Lewis of England, Edoardo Molinari of Italy and John Catlin of the United States.
A former PGA Tour veteran, An spent the 2026 season with LIV Golf, a renegade circuit founded in 2021 originally backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). An served as captain of the Korean Golf Club.
However, PIF announced in April that it would no longer back the tour after 2026, ultimately leading to LIV Golf, which had pilfered big names from the PGA Tour with lucrative contracts, filing for bankruptcy in September. A planned rescue deal with a new investor fell through, and LIV Golf announced last week it would cease operations.
"Amazing. I got a job for next year, which is always a good thing," An said in an interview posted on DP World Tour's website. "It is my first time making it through the Q-School, and I feel like I am playing as a rookie again. I am very grateful that I got through."
An said he did not feel that much pressure until the final two rounds, when he started getting frustrated over missed putts.
"After the (four-round) cut, I realized I was pretty close," he said. "I tried really hard to stay in the moment and got some nice birdies coming in, which helped, especially going to the last two holes."
An has two career wins on the DP World Tour: the BMW PGA Championship in 2015 and the Genesis Championship in 2024, a tournament held in South Korea and co-sanctioned by the Korea PGA Tour.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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Source: Yonhap News · Yoo Jee-ho
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