(Olympic Games) PGA Tour players ready to honor South Korea in France

PARIS, July 29 (Yonhap) — Competing in the Olympics has a different meaning for every athlete. For South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun, the son of two Olympic table tennis medalists, representing his country at the quadrennial event holds special significance.

An’s father, Ahn Jae-hyung, won the bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He met his future wife, China’s Jiao Zhimin, at that event in Seoul, and Jiao surpassed Ahn by winning two medals in the South Korean capital: silver in women’s doubles and bronze in women’s singles.

Byeong-hun has turned professional golfer and will now play for South Korea for the second time in three Olympics this week in France, having previously done so in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago.

The men’s tournament begins on Thursday at the Golf National, a stone’s throw from Paris.

“I’m very proud. I think competing in the Olympics means more to me than other golfers,” An said in an interview script provided by the PGA Tour on behalf of the International Golf Federation on Monday. “It’s been a dream of mine to win an Olympic medal for a long time. I think I grew up watching the Olympics more than other players, and having competed in the Olympics should help me.”

An said he watched table tennis more than other sports at the Olympics as a child. And when golf returned to the Olympic programme in 2016, An began dreaming of becoming the third Olympic medallist in his family.

(Olympic Games) PGA Tour players ready to honor South Korea in France — South Korean golfers An Byeong-hun (L) and Kim Joo-hyung speak at a news conference ahead of the Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Golf Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

An will be joined on the national team by three-time PGA Tour winner Kim Joo-hyung, known as Tom Kim in the United States. This will be Kim’s first Olympics.

“Even though this is his first Olympics, he has a lot of experience on the circuit,” An said of the 22-year-old. “He may look like a kid, but he’s not. There’s a lot I can learn from him on the course. I think he might be feeling some pressure, but if he can play his game, he should be able to challenge for a medal.”

Kim said the French course was in very good condition and would be a good test for the Olympians.

“No Korean golfer has won an Olympic medal yet, and that gives me a sense of responsibility,” Kim said. “South Korea is good at many different sports. And if we can add a medal here, it would mean a lot for golf in South Korea and also for the rest of Asia.”

Kim said he was looking forward to performing alongside An, calling him one of his close friends on the tour.

“I’ll try not to forget how much it means to represent the country,” Kim added.

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