Sweeping Success: Byeong Hun An’s swing indicates ‘major’ potential

Byeong hun “Ben” An had just built a new house and become a first-time dad. His personal life couldn’t have been better. But then after the 2020-2021 PGA Tour season, he lost his tour card. It was a devastating blow for a man who in 2009 – at age 17 – became the youngest player to win the US Amateur.

Not sure what to do, An contemplated taking some time off. His coach, Sean Foley, whom An had hired just a few months earlier, thought it was time for a frank conversation.

“I said, ‘Benny, it’s time we’re deeply honest with each other. Your attitude hasn’t been good enough,’” says Foley, who has coached several top tour pros including Tiger Woods. “I told him, ‘For the next three months we’re going to do banker’s hours, 9am to 5pm, six days per week. That’s your schedule. And if I hear that you don’t do it, I’ll quit.’”

An’s reaction? “It wasn’t easy to hear. But I needed to hear it.”

It’s no coincidence that An, a South Korean, is an athletic prodigy. His parents are Olympic medallists in table tennis, and his dad coaches the South Korean women’s national team. Good genes in part blessed An with an incredible set of hands and co-ordination, which shines around the greens. 

 Unfortunately for him, those hands can be a curse on longer shots. An’s ability to hit sharply down on the ball and flick his wrists for maximum greenside spin would often cause him to get steep on his full swing. His drives would often balloon out to the right, robbing him of valuable distance and accuracy.

When he showed up to the range the day after his talk with Foley, the pair focused on getting An’s arms wider on the backswing with less wrist hinge [third image, above]. This helped An rotate his body more on both sides of the ball – and helped quiet his wrist action. It also repositioned his right arm at the top of the backswing so that he could throw the club down on a shallower, more sweeping plane into the ball [fifth image].

By generating less uncontrollable spin with his hands and more speed from his body’s rotation, An added more than 11 metres to his drives – through early November, he ranked fourth on the PGA Tour at 290 metres. Aided by a 14-kilogram weight loss (he’s 104 kilograms now) and much better overall fitness, he also jumped to 20th in strokes gained/off the tee. An’s clubhead speed now approaches 120 miles per hour, and he has a new go-to shot – a high, flat draw that Foley calls “the weapon”.

 “It definitely sounds cool,” An says of the new swing shape. “It’s been a lot of hard work, so I’ll take it.” 

Photo by Dom Furore