Cal Career StatsGENERAL: One of the highest sought-after recruits in the country when he signed a national letter-of-intent with Cal in November of 2009 ... one of the most accomplished players to ever play amateur golf and the most accomplished ever prior to his Cal career ... has the entire package as a great ball striker, a wonderful short game and is a tremendous clutch putter ... has a strong mental makeup and knows what it takes to win.
2010-11 (AS A FRESHMAN)/CAL CAREER: Earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors, was the team's Newcomer of the Year and picked up one of the club's first-year `Big C' awards ... played in 13 of 14 events but did not miss the Pac-10 Championship and withdrew after two of three stroke-play rounds at the NCAA Championship in his lone season at Cal before going pro during the summer following the campaign ... posted the team's fourth-lowest stroke average with a 72.9 mark, totaling 2,772 strokes over 38 rounds ... stroke average had been as low as 71.8 after the team's first nine events ... Cal's top finisher three times (The Prestige at PGA West, Alister MacKenzie Invitational, NCAA Arizona Regional) ... posted a team-high six top-10 showings ... top finish came when he tied for second overall at Alister MacKenzie Invitational (65-64-69 - 198, -15) hosted by Cal after that came in the tournament immediately following a third-place showing at The Prestige at PGA WEST (70-73-68 - 211, -5), both Cal team wins ... tied for fourth at NCAA Arizona Regional (73-69-66 - 208, -5) to lead Cal to a third-place finish and a second consecutive trip to NCAA Championship, with his five-under par 66 during the event's final round ranking as the best score of the day and tied for the third-best round of the tournament ... tied for fifth at prestigious Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters (72-69-75 - 216, E) ... tied for sixth at Windon Memorial Classic (73-70-69 - 212, -1) ... tied for eighth at John A. Burns Intercollegiate (72-70-68 - 210, -6) ... tied for 17th at U.S. Collegiate Championship (75-69-75 - 219, +3) ... 66th at ASU Thunderbird Invitational (71-78-79 - 228, +15) ... tied for 66th in collegiate debut at Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational (74-76-77 - 227, +17) ... tied for 87th at Western Intercollegiate (80-82-76 - 238, +28) ... played in the top spot in the lineup at NCAA Championship (81-78-WD - 159, NA) but withdrew for the final round ... listed by Golfweek as the nation's No. 5 incoming freshman prior to the season.
AMATEUR:
2010 - Semifinalist at U.S. Amateur Championship, winning four match-play events before coming a victory shy of reaching the finals for a second consecutive year ... shot 70-77 - 147 in stroke play to qualify for U.S. Amateur Championship match play ... competed in nine PGA (Professional Golf Association) events as an amateur, including The Masters (No. 85-T, 78-77 - 165, +11), British Open (No. 116-T, 72-79 - 151, +7) and U.S. Open (No. 121-T, 79-75 - 154, +12) ... had a fourth-place finish at Jones Cup Invitational (75-78-71 - 224).
2009 - Became the youngest player ever to win U.S. Amateur Championship at the age of 17, taking the crown with a 7&6 victory in the finals over Clemson's Ben Martin ... played in Canon Cup featuring the top 10 boys and girls from both East and West of the Mississippi squaring off against each other, winning two of the three match-play rounds he competed in for the East squad ... most notable other showings came when he was co-medalist at Rolex Tournament of Champions (70-72-70-70 - 282) and tied for 19th at Junior Players Championship (75-74-75 - 224) ... also tied for 10th at Cleveland Golf/Srixon Boys Team Championship hosted by Jim Furyk (65-74-69 - 208).
2008 - Earned first-team American Junior Golf Association All-American honors ... had four top-10 showings ... tied for third at PING Invitational (76-77-70 - 223), tied for fourth at Mizuno Junior at Innisbrook (73-75-71 - 219), placed fifth at Rolex Tournament of Champions (70-71-77-75 - 293), and tied for seventh at Houston Boys Invitational at Redstone presented by HP and Administaff (72-76-76 - 224).
2007 - Lone top-10 finish came when he tied for 10th at Mizuno Junior at Chateau Elan (75-35-39 - 149).
2006 - Won Nike Golf Junior at Marshallia Ranch (67-70-75 - 212), while also taking sixth at Nike Golf Junior Championship (67-70-75 - 212) and tying for sixth at Nike Golf Junior at Fort Myers (73-77-68 - 218).
2005 - Top finish was a tie for eighth at Nike Golf Junior at Marshallia Ranch (75-69-79 - 223).
OTHER - Has been ranked among both the nation's top-10 junior and amateur players by Golfweek, with the AJGA also adding a top-10 junior ranking.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 2010 graduate of Bradenton Prep in Florida, where he attended his final two years of high school ... spent his first two years of high school at Pendleton School in Bradenton, Florida ... did not play prep golf as neither school he attended fielded a team ... a member of the National Honor Society.
OTHER: Full name is Byeong-Hun An ... turned pro in the summer of 2011 ... parents are Jae-Hyung An and Ji-Min Cho ... both parents participated in table tennis at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, with his mom earning a silver (women's doubles) and bronze (women's singles) medal for China, and his dad picking up a bronze (men's doubles) for South Korea ... awarded the key to the city of Bradenton, Fla. after winning the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship ... born September 17, 1991, in Seoul.
GETTING TO KNOW BEN:
The reason I love golf is ... it's simply fun
For me to improve as a person, I need to ... listen to others
My greatest athletic moments are ... when I won the 2009 U.S. Amateur, and when I was competing at The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and several other PGA Tour events
The favorite golf course I have played is ... Augusta National
The reason I chose Cal is ... great coaches and teammates
My favorite golf movie is ... Happy Gilmore
The people who have had the greatest influence in my life are ... my parents
My best advice to youngsters would be ... don't quit!
I am most thankful in my life for ... playing golf and having great parents
LAST UPDATED: May 11, 2012
