The students at Bradenton Prep know Byeong-Hun “Ben” An, but they know him as a good student. He doesn’t play for the school’s golf team so he won’t be playing the high school district tournaments or the upcoming Donald Ross Invitational at Sara Bay Country Club.
In August, the former IMG Leadbetter student became the youngest ever champion of the U.S. Amateur, defeating Ben Martin 7 and 5. The victory has given An elite status. He's already received a call from the Masters committee to play Augusta National this fall and a verbal invitation to the 2010 Masters. Also, the U.S. Amateur win gave him an automatic exemption into the U.S. Open and British Open.
Photo (from left to right): Concession's Director of Golf Gary Geiger, U.S. Amateur Ben An and Tony Jacklin
Last week at a party honoring him at The Concession, where he is a member, An said he plans on playing the three majors in 2010. Meanwhile, he is more concerned about his homework at Bradenton Prep. He has a full golf scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley.
An came to the United States from South Korea in 2005 and spent his first two and a half years at the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton. At Leadbetter Academy, An won the 2006 AJGA Junior All-Star at Marshallia Ranch (Vandenberg AFB, Calif.) and was named to the 2006 AJGA Junior All-Star Team.
For the better part of the past two years, An has been a member of The Concession where his coach, Jonathan Yarwood, maintains a junior golf academy.
On occasion, An will play a round with Michael Campbell, a former U.S. Open winner who visits Yarwood now and then for some help.
“Ben hits it by Michael,” said Yarwood. “He could play on the tour right now.”
When An came to the U.S. in 2005, he didn’t speak a word of English. Now, he is comfortable with the language and he handles himself well in interviews.
The excitement of winning the U.S. Amateur had almost worn off when he heard from the Masters committee.
“They invited me up to play a round before the tournament,” An said. “I would like to go up in October. Right now I have to catch up with my school work. I missed three weeks of school for the U.S. Amateur.”
The members of The Concession embraced him upon his return. He practices there every day and plays the course on a regular basis because it provides a challenging test.
In our own backyard, we have the youngest ever U.S. Amateur champ. At 17, he is a boy among men until he tees it up.