Tournament: Genesis Championship
Venue: Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Cheonan, Korea
Race to Dubai: Tournament 40 of 42
Back 9: Tournament 9 of 9
Prize Fund: $4,000,000
Hashtag: #GenesisChampionship #DPWT
Tournament Preview
Defending champion Byeong Hun An hopes to put on a show for the home support this week when he defends his Genesis Championship title at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club.
It was An’s first DP World Tour victory since winning the 2015 BMW PGA Championship, the same year he also won the Singhan Donghae Open on the KPGA TOUR. He was also the recipient of the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first Korean winner of the prestigious accolade.
The 34-year-old faces stern competition in defence of his second DP World Tour title, with Presidents Cup teammates Sungjae Im, Siwoo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott in the field for the final regular event of the DP World Tour season.
The tournament is co-sanctioned with the KPGA TOUR, with the top 36 Korean players from the Genesis Point List competing alongside their DP World Tour counterparts this week.
As the last tournament before the DP World Tour Play-Offs, players are vying to keep their playing rights for 2026 or make a final push to secure a place in the season-ending events in the United Arab Emirates. The Top 110 on the Race to Dubai Rankings will earn their cards for next year, while the Top 70 available players from the season-long standings will compete in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a fortnight’s time.
With five players counted as ‘in addition’, the cutoff for membership on the 2026 Race to Dubai is 115, with Scott currently occupying the 115th and final place on the Rankings, just 4.78 points ahead of Germany’s Yannik Paul.
Rafa Cabrera Bello, who currently sits in 70th place on the Rankings is hoping to secure his place in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs, as he aims to make his first appearance in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship since 2022. The Top 50 on the Rankings at the conclusion of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will compete in the final event of the season.
Player Quotes
Byeong Hun An: “It’s awesome (to be back). Being back here as defending champion is even better. I love playing on home soil. It’s a different golf course and a different test this week. But I always love coming back home.
“Last year I had some eyes on me. There’s not much pressure, but I’d love to have another car at the end of the week. No pressure at all. Hopefully I can show some good golf like I did last year for the Korean fans.
“It’s massive (having events like these). It’s good exposure for Korean golf. We have great golfers on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry (Tour) and DP World Tour. It would be good to see more and more as we have these events. In Korea we have a lot of junior golfers look up to us and dream to be a professional golfer one day. The more events we have and the more players we have in this event would be a big boost for Korean golf.”
Sungjae Im: “It’s my third time at the Genesis Championship, previously finished as winner and runner-up.
“So I have great memories. Hopefully I’ll play off these good memories to end with a good score. It has been ten years since I played at Woo Jeong Hills. I will give it my best this week.
“I have had two practice rounds. With the renovation, the greens and grass have gotten better. Woo Jeong Hills is known for slopy greens. Not missing the fairway will be important as getting accurate shot out of rough will be difficult.”
Siwoo Kim: “It always feels great to be back in my country. It’s been eight or nine years since the last time I played in Korea. It’s so special to be back home, especially at a DP World Tour and KPGA co-sanctioned event. Hopefully I will play good and that I can win for all the Korean fans.
“It’s special but there’s a lot of pressure. I want to show them that I can play great, so there will be a little more pressure than a normal event. I’m excited to play tomorrow.”
Rafa Cabrera Bello: “I’m 70th on the Race to Dubai, so I’m on the bubble to see if I get to the Play-Offs and Abu Dhabi. Being the last event of the regular season, normally in golf we say there’s a next week, but there might not be.
“So there’s a little bit of extra pressure, but I don’t really think about that. I just want to try and play my game. I’ve played better in the second half of the year, so hopefully I can have a good first two days, make the cut, that should take care of the job for me. If not, if I need a better weekend, I’ll fight for it.”
