As the DP World Tour gears up for its season ending finale down in Dubai, some of the best players across the world will gather at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea for the Genesis Championship.
A tournament that is co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour, several of Asia’s finest players alongside those from Europe will look to land their share of the 3.75 million euro prize pool.
With those looking to book their ticket into the DP World Tour Playoffs, everything looks set for a dramatic week of action. Ahead of the tournament starting, here is everything that you need to know.
The Course
This is only the second year that the Genesis Championship will take place and there is much excitement considering the success of the tournament’s debut last year. Set to take place at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, the course this week will play at just over 7,400 yards and will play as a par 72 for the week.
Located just outside of Seoul and amidst some of the most expensive houses in Korea, the location of the course is stunning and it wouldn’t be out of place in America.
The course’s main defence is water, but the fairways are wide and the rough minimal and it would be wise to anticipate some low scoring this week.
The Favourites
With this being one of the few DP World or PGA Tour events to be held in South Korea it isn’t surprising that there is a real South Korean flavour at the top of the betting.
Leading the way will be hometown favourite Tom Kim. Returning to the city of the birth, Kim is without the star attraction this week and the 22 year old will hope to put in a performance that will live long in the memory.
Despite being one of the youngest winners of a PGA Tour title in history, Kim has had a difficult season. Missing out on the BMW Championship by one spot, his season ended prematurely and despite his near miss at the Travelers Championship, his opportunities to win this season were few and far between.
Having been the lightning rod for the International Team at the 2024 Presidents Cup, Kim played some of his best golf of the year during the Internationals defeat. Looking to build on his positive play from at the Presidents Cup, Kim will be determined to win this week and could be well worth siding with.
Just trailing Kim in the betting is his countryman and fellow International teammate Byeong Hun An. At the Presidents Cup, An showed exactly why he is such a captivating player to follow.
A huge driver of the golf ball, he also is a wizard with a wedge in his hand. However, despite his many talents, concentration can often be his nemesis and too often his rounds can be plagued by errant shots. With the conditions likely to suit this week, An will be a danger to all in the field and if he can keep it altogether in front of his adoring fans, he could well be one of the best bets of the week.
Completing the top three in the betting is Nicolai Hojgaard. A member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team from 2023, the Dane has had a tough year and whilst his twin brother, Rasmus finds himself third in the Race to Dubai standings, Nicolai is facing the prospect of missing out on the DP World Tour Playoffs altogether.
Heading into the week ranked 78th in the standings, Hojgaard will need to play well this week if he is to grab a place in the top 70 and qualify for the first leg of the Playoffs. Two top twenty finishes in each of his last two starts would suggest that his game is trending in the right way. Whether he can win this week, remains to be seen but with his game improving, he could be worth chancing with a small play.
Who else needs a big performance this week?
With money and careers on the line, the 2024 Genesis will be pivotal for several players in the field this week. Currently sitting outside of the top 70 places in 90th position is last year’s winner Pablo Larrazalbal.
A convincing winner of this tournament last season, clearly the course suits the Spainaird’s eye, but if he is to continue his year, he will need to rediscover his form from 12 months ago. Ranked all the way down in 229 in the world, the Spainaird has missed cut after cut this season and needs to find a spark from somewhere.
Whilst a win would be a huge shock, he has the form here and could be one player to keep a real eye on.
Another man in desperate need of a positive week is Brandon Stone. The South African has been a veteran of the DP World Tour for many years but this time around his immediate tour future is in a spot of jeopardy.
Ranked 74th in the Race to Dubai standings, Stone is within touching distance of a coveted spot inside the top 70 and knows that he could achieve his ultimate aims by just making the cut this week. However, pressure can do funny things to a golfer and it will be fascinating to see how he keeps it altogether this week.
Whilst those who finish between 71 and 114 will keep their Tour card for the following season, those who finish outside of the top 114 places face a murky future. Eddie Pepperell is one of those golfers facing an uncertain time of things and will head into the week ranked 124th in the Race to Dubai Standings.
Missing last week’s cut by a single stroke, Pepperell’s chances of retaining his card hang greatly in the balance. A former winner of the British and Qatar Masters, he also finished third at the 2019 Players Championship and 6th at the Open back in 2018.
As talented as they come and having amassed his share of followers through his social media and broadcast coverage, there will be many hoping that he can produce one of his best weeks in years and secure his future for the next twelve months.
Genesis Championship Betting
If you want to place a bet on the Genesis Championship here is how the top ten in the betting currently looks.
Tom Kim - 15/2
BH An - 8/1
Nicolai Hojgaard - 12/1
Guido Migliozzi - 22/1
Yannik Paul - 22/1
Keita Nakajima - 25/1
Rasmus Norgaard - 25/1
Sebastian Soderberg - 25/1
Johannes Veerman - 28/1
Calum Hill - 28/1
Jack Hartman
A keen golfer and huge fan of the game, Jack has been covering golf for the last five years. Bringing you all the latest coverage and news from the PGA, LIV, LPGA and DP World Tours, never before has golf been so popular and Jack can’t wait to bring all the excitement to his readers.
