An Byeong-hun and Minkyu Kim heading to LIV Golf for 2026 season, launching a ‘Korean Golf Club’

[Financial News] Veteran PGA Tour player An Byeong-hun and Korea Professional Golf Association Tour (KPGA Tour) “young blood” Minkyu Kim are expected to move to LIV Golf, backed by Saudi Arabia capital, starting from the 2026 season. With LIV Golf officially announcing the launch of a team built around Korean players, their transfer is now regarded as virtually a done deal.
On the 13th, LIV Golf officially announced that it would change the name of the existing Iron Heads Golf Club team to Korean Golf Club. The rebranding is widely seen as a strategic move to recruit Korean players, and it has been confirmed that An Byeong-hun and Minkyu Kim are at the center of this plan.
An Byeong-hun, well known as the son of Korean-Chinese table tennis stars Ahn Jae-hyung and Jiao Zhimin, is currently in the final stages of transfer talks. Although he has yet to lift a trophy in 229 PGA Tour starts, he has earned a total of 21,535,424 dollars (approximately 31.75 billion won) through consistent performances. This is the highest career prize money on the PGA Tour among players without a tour victory. He also has two career wins on the DP World Tour.
An Byeong-hun’s camp is said to have recently informed his main sponsor, CJ Group, that he is considering a move to LIV Golf. If the transfer goes through, however, a reset in his relationship with CJ Group appears inevitable. An currently has a sponsorship deal with CJ Group through the 2027 season, but a move to LIV Golf would prevent him from playing in THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, a PGA Tour event. In addition, because LIV Golf operates on a team basis with designated uniforms, it would be difficult to display existing sponsors’ logos, which could complicate the continuation of his current sponsorship contract.

Meanwhile, Minkyu Kim, a three-time winner on the KPGA Tour, has already finalized his move to LIV Golf. Kim, who has been a standout performer on the domestic circuit, including his victory at the Korea Open in 2022, first established ties with LIV Golf when he competed as an alternate at LIV Golf Korea in May last year.
Yoon Joo-sik, head of UB Management Group, which manages Minkyu Kim, said, “Minkyu Kim is scheduled to compete on LIV Golf from the 2026 season,” adding, “However, he plans to continue playing on the KPGA Tour as long as it does not conflict with the LIV Golf schedule.” Kim signed a sponsorship deal with Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical in January last year.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter