It all began in Australia at the end of November and this week’s Genesis Championship in South Korea represents the last chance to secure places in the end-of-season playoffs and, for some, the final opportunity to keep their playing privileges for 2026.
There are some big names playing this week, including Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim, Sungjae Im, Ben An and Adam Scott. Of course, these guys have no concerns about their immediate futures.
If you finish in the top 115 in the Race to Dubai then you get to come back and try again the following year. Those who are struggling will surely take consolation from what Marco Penge has achieved in 2025. This time last year he had to hole a six foot putt on the final green to keep his card. He did so and has gone on to win three times in 2025, climbing into the top 50 in the world rankings and securing an invitation to the 2026 Masters. It is an inspiring story.
For the likes of Yannik Paul, Callum Tarren, Robin Williams, Alex Levy, Gavin Green, Lucas Bjerregaard, Max Kieffer, Matthew Baldwin, Ross Fisher, Zander Lombard, Alexander Bjork, John Catlin and Justin Harding this has largely been a season to forget.
Kieffer, Baldwin, Lombard, Green and Paul are all in the field this week, knowing that nothing less than a victory will do. For most of the others listed above the deal is already done.
Paul won the Mallorca Open three years ago and, for a time, looked like he could be the real deal.
He attended the University of Colorado from 2013 to 2018 and was also a member of the German team at the European Amateur Championship in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, playing alongside his twin brother Jeremy in 2015 and 2016.
He turned professional in May 2018 and finished runner-up at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in 2021, securing his playing rights on the 2022 DP World Tour, ultimately finishing ninth on the Challenge Tour Rankings.
In October 2022, he claimed his first victory on the European Tour at the Mallorca Open. He birdied the final hole to beat Paul Waring and Nicolai von Dellinghausen. There have been some high finishes since but he has struggled with consistency.
Lombard’s game has fallen off a cliff in recent times. In 2014, the South African was runner-up at The Amateur Championship, after which he turned professional. He earned a spot in the 2016 Open after a second-place finish at the Joburg Open and went on to make the cut, finishing tied for 66th.
He was runner-up in the 2017 Rocco Forte Open in Sicily, losing to Alvaro Quiros at the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. After a poor start to 2018, he tied for sixth at the Irish Open. This also gave him a place in the 2018 Open, where he finished tied for 67th. And in August 2018, he won the Vodacom Origins on the Sunshine Tour.
Baldwin was captain of the England Boys side before turning professional in 2008. In 2009 he played on the third-tier Alps Tour and finished 23rd on the Order of Merit, with six top-ten finishes. He made several appearances on the Challenge Tour in 2010, and performed well enough to finish 82nd on the final standings and gain full status for 2011. In October 2011, he won for the first time on the Challenge Tour at the Challenge de Espana. This sealed his promotion to the DP World Tour for 2012 where he played well enough to retain his playing rights, finishing 72nd on the Order of Merit.
In March 2023, Baldwin won on the DP World Tour for the first time at the SDC Championship in South Africa, an event co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour. He won by seven shots ahead of Adri Arnaus. Sadly, the exemption he gained through that victory has now expired.
There will be huge iinterest in the performances of Kim, Im and An, and Matsuyama is always a huge draw when he appears in this part of the world.
Sungjae Im is a machine. This season he has made 28 starts on the PGA Tour, making 20 cuts. He has had three top 10s and nine top-25 finishes and did enough to make the Tour Championship. He finished third at The Sentry, tied fourth at the Farmers and tied fifth at The Masters.
The wonder is that he has only won twice in America.
Im turned professional in 2015. In 2016 and 2017 he played on the Japan Tour. In December 2017, Im finished second in the Web.com Tour Q-School, including a third round of 60. He won the first event of the season, the Bahamas Classic, becoming, at 19 years, 292 days, the second youngest winner in Web.com Tour history. Only Jason Day, at 19 years, 238 days, had been a younger winner. He also had three solo runner-up finishes and finished the regular season by winning the Portland Open. He led the regular season money list and was named Web.com Tour Player of the Year.
In the 2018-19 PGA Tour season, he was named PGA Tour rookie of the year, becoming just the 13th rookie to qualify for the Tour Championship in the Fedx Cup era. He led the tour in starts (35) and cuts made (26), and his 118 rounds were 18 more than the nearest competitor.
In March 2020, Im won The Honda Classic with a final round of 66 and in November 2020, he finished tied for second place at The Masters, five shots behind Dustin Johnson.
In October 2021, he won the Shriners, for his second PGA Tour title in his 100th start. Im shot a final round 9-under 62 and won by four shots over Matthew Wolff, coming from three behind at the start of the day.
In May 2023, he travelled to South Korea, the week before the US PGA to play in the Woori Financial Group Championship on the Korean Tour. He shot a final-round 68, including an up-and-down birdie on the final hole to win by one shot.
(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Twelve months ago, Korean stars Ben An and Tom Kim gave home fans a final round to rememberwith An coming out on top after Kim’s putt to win on the 72nd green lipped out.
The pair then headed to a playoff, with An coming out on top thanks to a birdie at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon.
On a day when six different players held the lead at some point, Kim was one clear heading down the last after An dropped a shot at the 17th.
Both landed their approach to eight feet, with An applying the pressure by holing his effort to move back alongside Kim at 17 under. Kim needed to sink his to claim the one-shot victory, but missed and the two home favourites were forced into a playoff.
Kim hit a poor second and then saw his third shooting into the stands, resulting in a bogey.
An had two putts for the title on home soil but only needed one to seal his first victory on the DP World Tour since lifting the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
“It’s great, I’ve had a great season obviously, it’s been too long (to win) on the main Tour,” An said. “All I tried to do is show some great golf in front of the home fans, it’s been a while since I’ve played in front of them.
“It feels amazing, it’s a bit of a shame that Tom had a bit of mess there, but it’s been a great tournament for me, I’ve really enjoyed it. There has been a lot of fans out there supporting me and Tom and I feel like we had a great battle today. I just got a little bit lucky to be a winner out there today I think.
“It’s a sweet ending for this year, it’s been a great year. This feels amazing, I’m going enjoy it for a while then I’ve got to get back on it.”
Tournament Winners:
Last year’s Genesis was the first time it was held as a DP World Tour event and was won by Ben An.
The Course:
Woo Jeong Hills CC in Cheonan in a par 71 measuring 7,367 yards. It opened in 1993 and has the feel of a PGA Tour layout, with undulating fairways, plenty of water hazards and tree-lined fairways. The rough is short so scores are going to be low.
Form Guide:
Sungjae Im plays more golf than just about any other leading professional and is one of the most consistent players in the game and would love to win on home soil.
Prize Money:
Total prize money is $4m, with 5,000 Race to Dubai points going to the winner.
How to Watch:
Thursday, October 23, Sky Sports Golf, 4am; Friday, October 24, Sky Sports Golf, 4am; Saturday, October 25, Sky Sports Golf, 4.30am; Sunday, October 26, Sky Sports Golf, 2.30am.
To Win:
Sungjae Im. A machine
Each Way:
Hideki Matsuyama. Loves this part of the world
Each Way:
Ben An. Looking for successful title defence
Five to Follow:
Sungjae Im. Incredibly consistent
Hideki Matsuyama. Beautiful tempo
Ben An. Sneaky long
Laurie Canter. Enjoying another fine season
Martin Couvra. Exciting talent
Five Outsiders to Watch:
Max Kieffer. Talented German
Matthew Baldwin. Time running out
Xander Lombard. Uncertain future
Galvin Green. Glorious swing
Yannik Paul. Desperate for a good week
Derek Clements is a seasoned sports journalist and regular Golfshake contributor, specialising in tour coverage, opinion pieces, and feature writing. With a long career in national newspapers and golf media, he has reported on the game across Europe, the United States and Australia. A passionate golfer, he has played and reviewed numerous renowned courses, with personal favourites including Pebble Beach, Kingsbarns, Aldeburgh, Old Thorns and the K Club. His love of the game informs his thoughtful commentary on both professional golf and the wider golfing community.
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