After Ahn Byung-hun unexpectedly joined the LIV Golf alliance, his old comments about LIV Golf resurfaced.
Ahn Byung-hun’s public stance on LIV Golf has come full circle, less than two years after he dismissed leaving the league as a realistic career move.
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The 34-year-old has now left the PGA Tour to become captain of LIV Golf’s newly renamed Korean golf club team.
Photography: G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images
Ahn Byung-hun went from rejecting LIV to leading one of his teams
As early as December 2023, Ahn Byung-hun clearly expressed his feelings on social media. Responding to rumors surrounding his move to LIV, he made it clear what needs to be done.
“If I didn’t have the money, I wouldn’t play LIV. I love playing on the PGA Tour. If you don’t have a lot of money, I don’t see any reason to try LIV.”
This sentiment reflected the sentiment of many PGA Tour players at the time, with financial motivations and competitive legitimacy still being major talking points. An’s stance contrasted with his eventual decision to join LIV in January 2026.
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His move comes as LIV steps up its efforts to expand into the Asian market, renaming the old Iron Heads team the Korean Golf Club.
An succeeds Kevin Na as captain and joins a roster that includes fellow Koreans Minkyu Kim and Younghan Song, as well as New Zealander Danny Lee.
Insights into Ahn Byung-hun’s embrace of LIV’s global ambitions
Byeong-Hun An explained in an interview with Golf Today that his decision came after months of conversations and late contact from LIV.
An added that LIV’s goal of growing golf in the international market coincides with his ambitions as a player representing South Korea.
“Things escalated very quickly. We came to the conclusion that this was going to be an exciting phase of my life, not a worry. We were both excited about the opportunity.”
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“We want to expand all brands across countries and globally. This is completely consistent with my ultimate goal in my golf career – to expand the Korean golf market.”
This is a significant shift from his comments in 2023 and shows how LIV’s changing profile and regional investment strategy have changed his views.
For Ahn, the move wasn’t just about the money, but about taking a leadership role in growing the sport in his home country.
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