An Byeong-hun of Korea tees off on the ninth hole during a practice round for The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., U.S., March 11. EPA-Yonhap

For one of the PGA Tour's most prestigious tournaments scheduled for this week, Korean veteran An Byeong-hun will once again play at the site of a nightmarish turn of events from four years ago.

When An tees off at The Players Championship, dubbed the "fifth major" for its deep field and massive purse, on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, his mind will be on the par-three 17th hole and its iconic island green.

Depending on whom you ask, it's either the most famous or the most infamous hole in golf, a place where many hopes have been drowned over the years.

An may lean toward the latter school of thought. In the first round of the 2021 Players, An needed nine shots to find the green — he dunked his tee shot in the water and found the hazard three more times from the drop zone — and walked away with an 11. He ended up shooting an 11-over 83 and missed the cut.

An has not performed well at the tournament since. After not playing there in 2022, he tied for 37th in 2023 but missed the cut again after going 69-80 last year.

In an interview with the PGA Tour on Wednesday, An said he will try to avoid a big number on the 17th this time.

"Obviously, the 17th is the most difficult hole. With its island green, the hole plays much more difficult in windy conditions," An said. "I have some bad memories of that hole. I will try to make pars there and stay out of the water."

His demons on the 17th notwithstanding, An said he was pleased to be back at The Players.

"My goal is to play here every year," An said. "It's an honor to be part of such a high-quality field."

An is coming off his best performance of the season last week, when he tied for eighth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. After starting that tournament with a 76, An shot 69-70-68 to record his first top-10 finish of 2025.

He had missed three cuts in his six events prior to that.

"I didn't play well earlier in the year but then last week, the tournament was held at a course that I really like. I feel like my ball striking is coming back," An said. "I've been putting well too. It was a gratifying week, and I hope I can build on that success going forward. If I can play as well as last week, I should be in the hunt for the title or finish in the top 10."

Two Korean players have won The Players, with Choi Kyoung-ju breaking through in 2011 and Kim Si-woo joining him in 2017. An is hoping he can be next.

"Korean players have some good history at this tournament, and it'd be awesome to see another Korean player win here," An said. "I hope I will be the one to lift that glorious trophy this week." (Yonhap)