Im Sung-jae, who is seeking his second title at this year’s Genesis Championship. Photo courtesy of the tournament organizing committee
Im Sung-jae, the leading Korean player on the PGA Tour, will compete in the Genesis Championship at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, from Oct. 22 to 25, seeking to become the first player to win the tournament twice.
The Genesis Championship holds special meaning for Im, who will be making his fourth appearance. He won his first Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA) Tour title at his debut in the event in 2019, leaving a strong impression on domestic fans, and the record he set as the tournament’s youngest champion — at 21 years, six months and 13 days — still stands. He tied for second in his second appearance in 2023, and while he finished tied for 42nd last year, he shared the lead through the second round, continuing a pattern of strong play at the event.
Im, who is chasing the tournament’s first two-time championship for a second straight year, said the Genesis Championship is a special event where he won his first title on a Korean stage. “It means a lot to be able to play again in front of domestic fans at this milestone event marking its 10th anniversary, and my expectations are high,” he said. “Last year’s tournament at Woo Jeong Hills left me with a lot of regret, so I will rest and train enough in the time remaining to play without regret and deliver a good result.”
Now in its 10th year, the Genesis Championship is South Korea’s largest international professional golf tournament, co-sanctioned by the KPGA Tour and the DP World Tour with a total purse of $4 million.
Since its inaugural edition in 2017, the tournament has been held every year without interruption, including through the COVID-19 pandemic, tracking the growth of men’s golf in South Korea. Inaugural champion Kim Seung-hyuk was followed by Lee Tae-hee, Im, Kim Tae-hoon, Lee Jae-kyeong, Kim Young-soo, Park Sang-hyun, An Byeong-hun and Lee Jeung-hwan — a line of past winners representing Korean golf — and the event has consistently given domestic players a chance to compete against world-class fields and step onto the global stage.
Launched in 2017 after more than 30 months of preparation under the goal of creating the finest golf tournament made together by the best players and customers, the Genesis Championship has raised the competitiveness and standing of South Korean men’s golf over the past decade. It has grown beyond a single tournament into a symbolic stage connecting Korean golf with the global circuit.
This year’s field comprises 126 top players from home and abroad, including the top 36 in the Genesis Points standings. The Genesis Championship closes out the “Back 9” of the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai and serves as the final gateway to the season-ending playoffs, setting up competition expected to be fiercer than ever.
The winner receives $680,000 in prize money and a Genesis vehicle, along with two years of playing rights on the KPGA Tour and the DP World Tour from 2027 through 2028. The champion also earns 1,300 Genesis Points and 835 Race to Dubai ranking points.
In addition, the highest-finishing KPGA Tour player in the field will receive a spot in the 2027 Genesis Scottish Open, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. With the event carrying significant weight in the late-season Genesis Points race, KPGA Tour players are expected to battle hard for the Genesis Prize and a top-10 finish in the points standings, which come with bonus prize money and various benefits.
Online ticketing and detailed tournament information are available in real time through UNITIX, the official ticket sales channel. A second round of early-bird tickets offering daily admission at a 15% discount is on sale through Sept. 30, and weekend passes, all-day passes and package tickets that include souvenirs such as umbrellas, chairs and tumblers are also available in limited quantities.