The final tournament of the regular DP World Tour season takes place this week when the show heads to Asian for the inaugural Genesis Championship, a co-sanctioned event with the Korean Tour, and one which is huge for many players in the field.
We didn’t have a winner of this tournament last year as it wasn’t held but the Korea Championship was staged on the same course in 2023 as this event will be where Pablo Larrazabal came out on top and he is in the field here.
The Course
It is the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea which will stage the tournament this week. The course is a par 72 which can stretch as far as 7,470 yards. There is an urban scenery with high-rise buildings in the vicinity but there is also the west coast not far away so the breeze is going to have an impact this week. 12 under par was the winning score in the Korea Championship last year which suggests that we are not looking for the lowest score of the season.
As the name of the course would highlight, Jack Nicklaus has had an impact on the design of this course so this is going to be a second shot track and one where the test comes into the greens which will be protected by hazards. We’re looking for players who hit iron shots well this week but also those who are comfortable with the breeze. Keep an eye on the Race to Dubai rankings because only the top 114 players at the end of the week will guarantee their tour card for next season and only the top 70 move forward to the playoffs.
The Field
Despite the PGA Tour being in this part of the world this season we have a decent enough field, undoubtably helped by the playoffs being on the horizon. Three members of the top 100 in the world rankings were here with Tom Kim the headline draw on home soil. He will be joined by his Korean compatriot Byeong-Hun An who is no stranger to winning events at this level prior to becoming a PGA Tour star. Nicolai Hojgaard is the top leading ranked player teeing it up this week.
It is a big week in the Race to Dubai rankings and although players at the top end of them have largely taken the week off to either compete in Japan or wait for the playoffs to come along, we still have Rikuya Hoshino in the top 10 looking to better his position while Sebastian Soderberg and Guido Migliozzi will be looking to rise from 12 and 20 on those rankings respectively. At the other end of the scale, Freddy Schott is on the bubble and looking to fend off the chasing pack for his 114 spot while Marco Penge, Rafa Cabrera Bello, James Morrison, Adri Arnaus and Eddie Pepperell are all within striking distance and in need of a big week.
Market Leaders
As you would expect, the market is dominated by the Korean pair who are down in grade to compete in this tournament. Tom Kim is the favourite to win the tournament at 8/1 and you would imagine a Jack Nicklaus course would be right up his street with width to give it a good go off the tee and then playing to his aggressive approach play. The only thing that would concern me is the Korean hasn’t been in the best of form and while this tournament might not take much winning from his point of view, I’d rather a bit more solid form in the book if I’m getting involved in a single figure price.
Byeong-Hun An is next in the betting at 9/1 on the best prices and he might be even more suited to the test in front of him than his countryman because he can really unleash it off the tee and break a number of these holes down to wedges and short irons. If he can putt well then there is nothing to suggest that he won’t go well in this tournament and the fact that he competes here rather than the PGA event, albeit this one is on home soil, could be a tell in itself. Of the two are single figures I’d prefer An but I’m not rushing to back either in truth.
Nicolai Hojgaard comes third in the market at 20/1 on the best prices, although some bookmakers fancy him a lot more than that as they have him priced up at 12/1. The Dane arrives here with top 20 finishes in his last two starts but this will be the fourth week in succession that he has teed it up and I’m never a massive fan of that. The fact that he is sat at 78 on the Race to Dubai rankings tells us he hasn’t had the best season, albeit some of that is down to swapping his time with the PGA Tour, but he needs a huge week here if he is going to have the chance to defend his DP World Tour Championship title next month. That might be all the motivation he needs for a big week.
Yannik Paul is the only other man who is shorter than 25/1 in the betting for this tournament. He is 22/1 to come out on top. The German was second in the Open de France a couple of weeks ago but he has teed it up for the last 10 weeks and that has to be an issue and could be one of the reasons why he missed the cut last week. He is one of the better approach players on the DP World Tour which would put him in the mix here but the doubts over how much is left in the petrol tank make me swerve him.
Main Bets
Antoine Rozner should like the test in front of him this week and the fact that he opened up the Korea Championship with a 63 here last year would certainly testify to that. He couldn’t go on from there but the fact he has that sort of round in him here gives me confidence because the Frenchman was T7 at the BMW PGA Championship last month and although he has played a fair bit of golf since then, the fact he ended with a 67 in Andalucia last week suggests he hasn’t emptied the petrol tank. Rozner sits at number three on the strokes gained on approach statistic on the DP World Tour this season and if he can dial the irons in here then he could be a very tough nut to crack.
Haotong Li was always going to be high up on my shortlist this week. If there is a weakness in his game right now then it comes off the tee but there isn’t a huge demand on him in that department here and that makes me think he’ll relish this assignment. The Chinese star sits ninth on the DP World Tour in strokes gained on approach this season and he is in the top 20 for putting strokes gained as well so with no massive issues off the tee this should be a week that the classy Chinese player can really contend. He was in the top 10 at the Dunhill Links earlier this month so the approach play and putting was in good order there and solid efforts in the middle-east and Asia earlier in the season makes me think he could be a leading player here.
Outsiders
Scott Jamieson is sure of a tour card for next season but needs a very big week if he is going to be around for the final two events of the year. It might therefore be a touch that he is back on a track where he finished third last season despite beginning with an over par opening round. He came storming home after that he we know that the Scot isn’t going to be hampered by any breeze which might be doing the rounds this week. Jamieson has shown flashes of form in the last couple of weeks too. He opened up the Dunhill Links with a 63 and went on to finish in the top 25 and last week he was in a tie for third at halfway but couldn’t push on from there. On a course where he has strung rounds together though there is enough in his recent scoring to suggest that he could get involved at 66/1.
Eddie Pepperell is on the outside of the 114 ranking looking in so he needs a big week here to avoid having to play off for his playing rights on the DP World Tour and he might just have the track that suits him too. Firstly, we know that he is more than tuned in should the breeze get up and that should be an advantage this week and secondly we know that the strength of his game is his iron play and with no massive test coming along off the tee that certainly feels significant. It is only a few weeks ago that Pepperell delivered a top 15 finish in the BMW PGA Championship in an elite field which demanded plenty from the long game. If that translates to here he should be more than capable of contending in an infinitely weaker field at a big price.
Tips
Back A.Rozner to win Genesis Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 29.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-8)
Back H.Li to win Genesis Championship (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 46.00 with Boylesports (1/5 1-8)
Back them here:
Back S.Jamieson to win Genesis Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Betfair (1/5 1-6)
Back E.Pepperell to win Genesis Championship (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 176.00 with Sky Bet (1/5 1-6)
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