John Huh Bio
John Chan-su Huh is an American professional golfer on the PGA Tour. Born in New York City and raised between South Korea and the United States, he first gained attention with a victory at the 2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic in only his fifth PGA Tour start. That breakthrough season also brought him the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, making him the first golfer of Korean descent to earn the honor.
Since turning professional in 2008, Huh has built a steady career across the Korean Tour, the PGA Tour, and the Korn Ferry Tour. Now based in Los Angeles, California, he continues to compete at the sport’s highest level while remaining a familiar face to fans who followed his rapid rise as a young rookie.
Early Life and Background
John Chan-su Huh was born on May 21, 1990, in New York City, New York, to Korean parents. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to South Korea, where he lived for the next twelve years and developed an early connection to the sport. His parents later relocated the family to Chicago, Illinois, and after three more years in the Midwest, they settled in Los Angeles, California.
It was during his teenage years in the United States that Huh began to take golf seriously. The combination of supportive family and access to American golf courses helped sharpen his technique and fueled his ambition to compete professionally. After completing high school in California, he briefly enrolled at California State University, Northridge, attending classes for about two weeks before leaving. Without the necessary core courses to qualify for NCAA competition or scholarship eligibility, Huh committed fully to a professional career.
Path to Professional Golf
John Chan-su Huh turned professional in 2008 and joined the Korean Tour, where he spent the next three years refining his game against seasoned competition. In 2010, he captured the Shinhan Donghae Open, a significant early victory that announced his potential. That same year, he was named the Korean Tour Rookie of the Year, an award that highlighted his rapid development.
Huh also competed on the OneAsia Tour in 2010 and 2011, finishing 46th and 15th on the Order of Merit, respectively. Despite his growing reputation, he had not made a single start on a U.S.-based professional tour before attempting PGA Tour qualifying. In late 2011, he tied for 27th at PGA Tour Qualifying School, earning his Tour card for 2012 and setting the stage for one of the most memorable rookie seasons in recent PGA Tour history.
John Huh Career
Korean Tour Years (2008–2011)
John Chan-su Huh’s professional career began on the Korean Tour, where he learned to manage the demands of weekly competition. His breakthrough came in 2010 with a win at the Shinhan Donghae Open, a result that confirmed his talent and gave him the confidence to pursue opportunities abroad. He followed that victory with the Korean Tour Rookie of the Year award, an early indication that he was a player with serious potential.
During this period, Huh also balanced his schedule on the OneAsia Tour, using both circuits to gain experience and exposure. His finishing positions on the Order of Merit improved from 46th in 2010 to 15th in 2011, signaling his growing consistency. These seasons prepared him to test himself against the best players in the world on the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Breakthrough (2012–2013)
John Chan-su Huh made an immediate impression upon arriving on the PGA Tour in 2012. In only his second event, he tied for sixth at the Farmers Insurance Open, then tied for 12th the following week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. His rapid ascent culminated at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, where in just his fifth PGA Tour start, he defeated Robert Allenby in an eight-hole sudden-death playoff to claim his first victory. The playoff tied for the second longest in PGA Tour history and was made possible when Allenby double-bogeyed the final hole after putting his tee shot in the trees, while Huh’s par forced overtime.
Huh continued to deliver throughout 2012. He tied for second at the Valero Texas Open, two shots behind champion Ben Curtis, and tied for fifth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He made his major championship debut at the 2012 Open Championship, qualifying through FedEx Cup standings, and became the only rookie to reach the 2012 Tour Championship. He finished 28th on the money list, earning a spot in the 2013 Masters Tournament. For his efforts, Huh received the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, the first golfer of Korean descent to do so.
In 2013, Huh recorded a tie for 11th at the Masters and posted a tie for third at the Wyndham Championship, his best finish of the season. He reached a career-high 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking and continued to show that his rookie success was no fluke.
Sustained PGA Tour Years (2014–2019)
John Chan-su Huh remained a steady presence on the PGA Tour over the following seasons. In 2014, he recorded two tie-for-third finishes at the Valero Texas Open and the Barracuda Championship and finished 96th in the FedEx Cup. The 2015 season saw him end 110th in the FedEx Cup despite no finish better than 17th, while in 2016, a tie for sixth at the Waste Management Phoenix Open helped him finish 95th in the standings.
By 2017, Huh had added two top-10 finishes at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and the Valspar Championship, although he ended 121st in the FedEx Cup. In 2018, a tie for third at the CareerBuilder Challenge highlighted his season, and he secured a 112th-place finish in the FedEx Cup, extending his streak of playoff appearances to seven consecutive seasons. The 2019 campaign was more difficult, as injuries limited him to 13 events and just four made cuts, dropping him to 220th in the FedEx Cup.
Korn Ferry Tour Return (2020–2021)
After his injury-impacted 2019 season, John Chan-su Huh returned to competitive form on the Korn Ferry Tour. In 2020, he played 20 events, making 11 cuts, though he struggled to record a top-10 finish and ended 153rd in the FedEx Cup. He then entered the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, where a seventh-place finish at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship helped him finish 11th on the Finals points list, regaining his PGA Tour card for 2022.
PGA Tour Return (2022)
Back on the PGA Tour in 2022, Huh competed in eight events, making the cut in five of them. He did not finish higher than a tie for 40th during the season and ended 213th in the FedEx Cup. Despite the limited schedule, his return to the top tier reflected his determination to extend a career that has already spanned more than a decade.
Notable Events and Milestones
John Chan-su Huh’s defining moment remains his 2012 playoff victory at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he bested Robert Allenby after one of the longest playoffs in PGA Tour history. That same season, he became the first golfer of Korean descent to win the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award and the only rookie to reach the 2012 Tour Championship. He also earned entry into the 2013 Masters Tournament by finishing inside the top 30 on the money list, a fitting reward for one of the strongest debut campaigns in recent memory.
John Huh Career Wins
John Chan-su Huh has recorded two recognized professional victories. His first major win came on the Korean Tour, while his most celebrated triumph remains his lone PGA Tour title, earned during a memorable rookie season.
PGA Tour Highlights
John Chan-su Huh’s only PGA Tour victory came at the 2012 Mayakoba Golf Classic, where he defeated Robert Allenby in an eight-hole sudden-death playoff. It was his fifth career PGA Tour event, making it one of the fastest paths to a title in recent tour history. He has yet to add a second PGA Tour win, although he has posted multiple top-10 and top-three finishes across the decade that followed.
Other Wins and Performances
John Chan-su Huh captured the 2010 Shinhan Donghae Open on the Korean Tour, the victory that helped establish him as a rising talent. He was also named the Korean Tour Rookie of the Year in 2010 and earned recognition on the OneAsia Tour with strong Order of Merit finishes in 2010 and 2011.
John Huh Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
John Chan-su Huh was born in New York City to Korean parents and moved to South Korea as an infant, where he lived for twelve years. His family’s later moves to Chicago and Los Angeles shaped his path into American golf, providing both opportunity and stability. His parents supported his early development in the sport, though specific details about their identities have not been publicly confirmed.
Personal Life
John Chan-su Huh makes his home in Los Angeles, California, where he settled with his family as a teenager. He stands 6 feet tall and competes at 190 pounds, an athletic build that has suited the demands of professional tournament play. Publicly available information about a spouse or children has not been confirmed.
2025 Season Performance
John Chan-su Huh enters the 2025 PGA Tour season continuing his long association with the circuit. After regaining his Tour card through the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals, he has worked to re-establish himself among the game’s elite. His goal remains returning to the form that once carried him to a Tour victory and a Rookie of the Year award.
Consistent play and improved health will be central to Huh’s 2025 outlook. Drawing on more than a decade of professional experience, he offers steady ball-striking and a calm temperament that have served him well in pressure moments throughout his career. Whether contending for championships or grinding his way up the FedEx Cup standings, Huh’s resilience remains a defining trait.
Looking ahead, Huh aims to build momentum with consistent finishes and a return to the weekend cuts that defined his early career. With the PGA Tour’s demanding schedule and the depth of modern professional golf, every event offers a chance to climb. For John Chan-su Huh, the 2025 season is another opportunity to add to a career that has already produced memorable moments and a place in the history of Korean-American golf.