Pan Hoping for Injury-Free PGA Tour Campaign

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States: Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan begins his eighth season on the PGA Tour at this week’s Sony Open with one key goal in mind, which is to stay injury-free following a wretched 2023 campaign.

After missing five months of action following a left wrist injury, the one-time PGA Tour winner is determined to put last season behind him. Pan will have 13 medical starts for the new season, and needs to secure 57.89 FedEx Cup points to retain his Tour card (top-125 status) for full-field events.

“I hope I’m healthy and get rid of the pain from my physical injuries. The body is an athlete’s greatest asset and I’ll try my best to take good care of my body. My goal is to qualify for the final event of the Play-offs and be in the Top-30 of the FedEx Cup,” said the 32-year-old, runner-up to China’s Guan Tianlang at the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Pan is launching his 2024 campaign at Waialae Country Club, his third appearance in the Sony Open. The field in Honolulu is headlined by Korean Kim Si-woo, the defending champion, last week’s The Sentry winner Chris Kirk, world number eight Matt Fitzpatrick, 2023 Rookie of the Year Eric Cole, rising star Ludvig Aberg and 2022 Sony Open champion Hideki Matsuyama. Pan’s compatrio Kevin Yu is also starting his 2024 season this week.

Pan said: “I didn’t play for five months last season so I’ve got a medical exemption. I need 57 FedEx Cup points and if I secure a top-15 finish, I get those points. I will focus on every event and do my best.

“I like this golf course. The grass is similar to the grass back home and in Houston where I usually practice. We need accuracy off the tee and with the approach shots. I have confidence on all these aspects.”

Pan, who is also a one-time International Team member at the Presidents Cup, described last season as being challenging after taking time off to recuperate from a niggling wrist injury. He still produced three top 10s – fourth at the CJ CUP Byron Nelson, tied third at the RBC Canadian Open and tied ninth at the Sanderson Farms Championship – but endured abbreviated weeks as well with eight missed cuts and several withdrawals largely due to his injury.

“Due to my wrist, I couldn’t play in many events last season. When I play more than two events, my wrist starts to give a warning, and reminds me to take rest. So my pace last year was to play two events and then take one to two weeks off,” he said.

His off-season break was spent back home in Taipei where he continued his tradition of hosting a charity golf event for the local community and a junior golf clinic.

He said: “I was home for a month and a half and, as every year, I held a charity event and collected almost TWD 6 million (about US$200,000). This has raised the total sum to nearly TWD 33 million through six years of our charitable efforts. I am thrilled to contribute to the people and groups who need help.

“I also spent two days with 20 boys who love golf. I played a hole with each of them and shared my experiences, like pre-shot routine and course strategy. I also attended some sponsor events, of which many are charity related.”