Genesis Championship Opening on the 24th... 'Completely Changed'

DP World Tour Record Largest Scale
Total Prize Money 5.5 Billion KRW, Winner's Prize 900 Million KRW
Kim Joo-hyung, An Byeong-hoon, Hojgor Star All Appear
Winner Can Enter US Stage via Europe

The largest tournament in the country is about to take place. It is the Genesis Championship. From the 24th to the 27th, it will be held over four days at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea (par 72, 7,470 yards) located in Songdo, Incheon. Until last year, it was held as part of the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour, but this year it is co-hosted with the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour). Thirty players from the KPGA Tour and ninety players from the DP World Tour will compete for the championship. The prize money, participating players, and winner benefits have changed dramatically.

Kim Juhyung will compete in the Genesis Championship held in Korea, aiming for the victory.

The prize money is the largest ever at 4 million dollars (approximately 5.5 billion KRW). The winner will receive a prize of 680,000 dollars (approximately 940 million KRW). Last year, the total prize money for the Genesis Championship was 1.5 billion KRW. But that’s not all. The winner will also receive a Genesis G80 electrified facelift model as a prize, as well as an entry ticket to the 2025 Genesis Scottish Open. Two-year DP World Tour and KPGA Tour exemptions also come with it.

This tournament offers 5,000 Race to Dubai ranking points. It is the highest points awarded among DP World Tour events held in the Asian region. The only tournaments that offer higher Race to Dubai ranking points than the Genesis Championship are the DP World Tour Championship, Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, BMW PGA Championship, Genesis Scottish Open, Hero Dubai Desert Classic, US Open, PGA Championship, and The Masters, all of which are playoff series and Rolex Series events.

The winner of the Genesis Championship will receive 835 Race to Dubai ranking points. This could allow direct qualification for the DP World Tour playoff events held next month. If the player performs well in the playoff events, they can naturally aim to enter the ‘top 10’ of the Race to Dubai, which grants direct access to the ‘dream stage’ of the PGA Tour.

This year’s participants are impressive. Kim Joo-hyung and An Byeong-hun, who are active on the PGA Tour, will appear. Kim Joo-hyung, who has already won three times on the PGA Tour, will make his first appearance in two years and five months since the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in May 2022. Kim said, "It’s been a long time since I played a tournament in Korea. It won’t be easy, but I have high expectations. I will focus to perform well."

An Byeong-hun has had the busiest year this season. He finished runner-up at the Sony Open and made five top-10 finishes, and also competed in the Tour Championship, the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Along with Kim Joo-hyung, he also participated in the Paris Olympics and the Presidents Cup. An said, "Playing in front of fans in my home country is a truly special experience. I will show my best performance."

Genesis Points leader Jang Yu-bin aims to defend his home turf at the Genesis Championship.
[Photo by KPGA]

Besides these two players, European strong players Nikolai Højgaard (Denmark), Pablo Larraz?bal (Spain), Oliver Wilson (England), and Japan’s hopeful Keita Nakajima are also on the entry list. Korean players include last year’s champion Park Sang-hyun, as well as rising stars Jang Yu-bin, Cho Woo-young, Kim Min-gyu, and Kim Hong-taek, who will defend their home turf. Jang Yu-bin said, "Since my goal this season was the Genesis Award, this tournament is the most important. I look forward to competing with world-class players."