The Korean Byeong Hun An (-17) has won the Genesis Championship on home soil after defeating his compatriot and young local hero Tom Kim (-17) in the first playoff hole. That’s how things are: An only needed one playoff hole, unlike Guerrier who needed nine less than a week ago in Sotogrande, but it certainly helps when your opponent falters on the 18th at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club, a par 5 and the scene of the playoff, with an aggressive but inaccurate second shot, a very flawed third shot (a thin hit), although he was in a bad position, and subsequently missing a short putt to save par… A slight and even unexpected blemish at the end for Tom Kim, who truly lived up to the highest expectations throughout the week.
Who would have thought. An is already a well-established figure, not for nothing did he arrive this week as World Number 36, he is a PGA Tour player and was a finalist this year in the Tour Championship of the American circuit, where he finished in 21st place in the ranking, quite an achievement. However, he had to return to the DP World Tour to win a top-tier tournament again, because he hasn’t done so in the United States, except on the Korn Ferry Tour. He surprised everyone when he did it at the PGA in Wentworth over nine years ago, but since then he has lacked a winning instinct, it’s evident, given the consistency and quality of his game (what a second shot he hit today on the 15th, a par 5, with the driver in hand, to leave himself an excellent eagle opportunity where no one else was). He is a well-rounded player, indeed, but the emotion on his face moments after sealing the victory should not be surprising. He is not exactly accustomed to it.
Other contenders fell by the wayside, as is the way of life. Álex del Rey (-10), for example, who started two shots off the lead, hinted at a good birdie on the 3rd hole, but a hefty five-over stretch between holes 4 and 12 knocked him out of contention. The Danish sensation of the year, Rasmus Neergaard Petersen (-10), reached the very lead with a five-under stretch on the front nine, but then faltered. Later, Francesco Laporta (-12) and Antoine Rozner (-15) would fall, and only the Portuguese Ricardo Gouveia (-16) reached the tee of the 72nd hole with a chance. A birdie on this par 5 would have given him a spot in the playoff, but apparently, his epic week wasn’t enough (he arrived in 154th place in the Race and leaves in 100th, with his playing rights well secured, an excellent yet complex manoeuvre to pull off under pressure).
Iván Cantero (-12) was never in the fight for victory, but his final card of 69 strokes is significant and contains several partial triumphs, let’s call them that, and surely of great weight in the medium and long term. Firstly, because after all, the Asturian has secured his full circuit card for 2025 on Korean soil, thanks to this magnificent sixth-place finish. But it’s not the only battle won successfully. Additionally, Iván has proven to himself that he is very capable of doing things very well under immense pressure, which is no small feat for a player who had missed thirteen cuts in the previous fourteen tournaments played. Lastly, it is also proof that the initial adjustments made with his new coach, Jordi García Del Moral, with whom he started working a few weeks ago, are on the right track.
Cantero, beyond what his final record in the Sunday round dictates, played a truly splendid last 16 holes. He started by missing a short birdie chance on the 1st. And making a bogey immediately after on the 2nd. Bad, very bad omens for a player who started with his urgencies and needs. However, far from shrinking, the Asturian grew bigger and bigger, to the point that his notable four-under stretch from that moment on, in reality, given the circumstances, fell short, as he was going to create at least eight other reasonable birdie chances that ended up in limbo. Very consistent. Very focused. And only lacking that spark on the greens, although he did sink a good six-metre putt on the 16th.
Iván will be among those who start the 2025 season with strength, still in the year 2024, in those early events in Australia, South Africa, or Mauritius. It will be interesting to see if he can confirm this new opportunity he has created for himself.
