European Tour young gun arrives in Rio, eyes Olympic medal

An Byeong-hun, South Korean young gun on the European Tour, arrived in Rio de Janeiro, eyeing a medal in golf's long-awaited return to the Olympics.

"Now that I am wearing the national flag on my chest, this feels different than any other competition," An said at Galeao International Airport on Monday. "I must never taint the honor of the national flag."

An, the 2015 European Tour Rookie of the Year, said his goal is to win a medal, "and a gold medal, while I am at it."

The men's competition appears wide open, with the world's top four -- Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy -- having pulled out with concerns over the Zika virus and other reasons.

An, on the other hand, said their absence won't make things any easier, with the likes of Henrik Stenson, this year's Open Championship winner, in the field.

"Golf is such a fickle sport," An added. "Anyone who plays well for four days -- no more or no less -- can win."

An missed the cut at the PGA Championship, the season's final major held last month, and blamed it on an iffy driver.

"I only hit about 20 percent of the fairways then," he said. "But now, my driving and shots are better."

An is paired with Adilson da Silva of Brazil and Graham DeLaet of Canada for the first group to play in the Olympic golf tournament. He will be the third in the order to tee off Thursday when golf returns to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years.

The International Golf Federation (IGF) said da Silva will be the first to tee off because he is the lone golfer from the Olympic host nation, while DeLaet will go second since Canada is the defending champion after George Lyon won the gold medal in 1904, the last time golf was staged at the Summer Games. The IGF explained An was chosen because of his Olympic heritage.

An is the son of the South Korean men's table tennis coach, An Jae-hyung, a bronze medalist in men's doubles at the Seoul Games in 1988. His mother also won medals in table tennis at the same Olympics.

The junior An said he texted his father after landing in Rio but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to meet him during the Olympics. The table tennis competition started last Saturday.

Along with An, two-time European Tour winner Wang Jeung-hun will represent South Korea.

The men's competition starts on Thursday at Olympic Golf Course, a par-71, 7,128-yard layout. (Yonhap)