– In a few hours, the Genesis Championship will begin, the last regular tournament of the DP World Tour. The end of the season is approaching. It is played at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon. It is the successor of the Korea Championship that was played last year, although it is considered a new tournament due to the arrival of a new sponsor who has signed for three years. This event is a reality thanks to the joint work of the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, and the South Korea circuit.
– As we mentioned, it is the last regular tournament of the season, which means it will determine which golfers keep their full DP World Tour card and which will have to go to the School to try to improve their category for next year. There is a lot at stake. The fundamental difference for next year is playing where and how I want or when and where I can.
– To achieve full playing rights, you must finish among the top 114 in the Race to Dubai. There are no less than five Spaniards in that battle: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Santi Tarrio, Sebastián García Rodríguez, Adri Arnaus, and Iván Cantero. The accounts of each to maintain category 10 (full card) are explained here.
– It is the same course where Pablo Larrazábal won last year with a total of -12. Good weather is expected during the tournament. The fairways are not at their best. They are a bit high and may be heavy due to the rain that fell on Tuesday. In any case, the game from the tee is not as important as the irons to the green. The great defence of this course is around the hole. The greens are very undulating and fast. The entire course is three-putt territory. We are going to see strange things this week.
– Given the scenario, it is clear that it is fundamentally an iron course. You have to be very precise to leave the ball on the same platform as the hole. If not, you have to struggle to get the two putts. Last year only four golfers who played all four rounds left Incheon without a three-putt in the bag. In the Estrella Damm Andalucía Masters, there were eight, double the number.
– The standout player of the tournament is undoubtedly Tom Kim. He is the man to beat, something similar to Jon Rahm last week or in the Spanish Open. The Korean plays in the star group alongside Nicolai Hojgaard and Yubin Yang, leader of the Korean circuit’s order of merit. Another notable name is Byeong Hun An.
– Among the Spaniards, Sebas García Rodríguez opens the course. Half an hour later, Alex del Rey tees off. There are five Spaniards in the morning shift and four in the afternoon shift this Thursday. If the five previously mentioned are playing for category 10, the rest have to do well or very well to be in Abu Dhabi, the first playoff of the DP World Tour to be played in two weeks. In this situation are Larrazábal, García Heredia, Del Rey, and Manu Elvira.
– Iván Cantero played nine practice holes on Tuesday with Pablo Larrazábal. The defending champion gave him some advice for the greens and, above all, demonstrated how well he can handle the course. Who knows if we are witnessing the turning point of Pablo’s year.
