Two of the biggest men's and women's golf events of the autumn open in South Korea this week. The Genesis Championship, co-sanctioned by the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Tour and the DP World Tour, begins a four-day run on the 22nd at Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. On the same dates, the BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA Tour event held in Korea, tees off at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province. The fields include PGA Tour players Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, along with LPGA Tour players Yu Hae-ran and Yoon Yi-na.
Genesis Championship Becomes Decisive Test in Points Race
Jang's Four-Month Lead Slips Amid Slump
Shin, Jeong Join Three-Way Fight for Top Spot
1,300 Points at Stake Could Reshuffle Standings
PGA Tour's Kim Si-woo, Im Sung-jae Chase Title
The race for the KPGA Tour's Genesis Points title has been upended in the closing weeks of the season. Jang Yu-bin of Shinhan Financial Group, who had led the standings for four months since June, has slipped during a slump, while Shin Sang-hoon of PXG and Jeong Chan-min of CJ have climbed to first and second. With three events left in the season, the Genesis Championship, with a total purse of $4 million, has emerged as the decisive test, as all the leading contenders are in the field.
Shin took the lead in the Genesis Points standings with 4,807.94 points after finishing runner-up at The Charity Classic, which ended the previous day at Seowon Valley Country Club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, the KPGA Tour said on the 19th. Jeong, who won the event, is second with 4,744.77 points, 63 points behind. Jang, who had led through the previous tournament, tied for 53rd and added just 25 points, dropping to third with 4,512.08 points.
Through the middle of the season, Jang appeared on track to claim this year's Genesis Points title after winning twice, at the KPGA Classic and the Hana Bank Invitational in June. But he failed to finish in the top 10 in four consecutive events, from the Golfzon Open in September through The Charity Classic, allowing Shin, who won the Golfzon Open in September, and Jeong, who won The Charity Classic in October, to pass him.
That has raised the stakes at the Genesis Championship, which carries the largest points allocation of the remaining events at 1,300 points. The tournament runs for four days from the 22nd at the par-71 Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, under the joint sanction of the KPGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
The 1,300 points on offer are more than enough to erase the gaps among the current leaders. Players from fifth-placed Choi Chan of Daewon Plus Group, with 3,991.04 points, through seventh-placed Moon Do-yeop of DB Insurance, with 3,512.33 points, could move into first place with a win, depending on how others finish.
The event is also an opportunity for Shin, Jeong and Jang to pull away from the chasing pack with a large points haul.
The Genesis Points winner receives a bonus of 200 million won, a Genesis vehicle, a five-year KPGA Tour exemption, direct entry to the final stage of PGA Tour Q-School and a one-year DP World Tour card.
"I'm coming in with good momentum, so I'll prepare hard and aim for the win," Shin said. Jang, who dropped to third after losing the lead, said, "I want to use this tournament to get back the form I had."
Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae, both of CJ and both playing on the PGA Tour, are also in the field. Kim is seeking his first title at the event, while Im is chasing a second trophy after winning in 2019.
BMW Ladies Championship, Korea's Only LPGA Event
Yu Hae-ran Chases Vare Trophy
Hwang Yu-min in Position to Overtake Rookie of the Year Lead
Yoon Yi-na Seeks First LPGA Win
Korean Players Aim for Seventh Victory of Season
The BMW Ladies Championship, the only LPGA Tour event held in Korea, will be played at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, with a total purse of $2.35 million. The field includes Korean players competing on the LPGA Tour as well as 15 leading players from the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour.
Korean players have won six LPGA Tour titles this season, with two each by Kim Hyo-joo and Yu Hae-ran and one each by Lee Mi-hyang and Shin Ji-eun. That matches last season's total of six, and the players are seeking a seventh at the event on home soil.
Yu has drawn the most attention. She has had the best year of her career with three major titles across the U.S. and Korean tours, winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June and the Amundi Evian Championship in July before adding the HiteJinro Championship, a KLPGA Tour major, in October.
Yu is now in contention for the Vare Trophy, awarded for the lowest scoring average and one of the LPGA Tour's top honors. Nelly Korda of the U.S. leads the scoring average but has not met the minimum round requirement, opening the door for Yu, who is second at 69.54. Yu missed the trophy by 0.01 strokes two years ago and is trying to hold off Yamashita Miyu of Japan, third at 69.64, to become the first Korean winner since Ko Jin-young in 2019.
Hwang Yu-min is pursuing another LPGA title. She is second in the Rookie of the Year standings with 395 points, 144 behind Hara Erika of Japan, who leads with 539. Because the tournament winner receives 150 rookie points, a single victory could put her in front. Hwang said she wants to bring back the rookie title, which has gone to Japanese players for the past two years, after Yu won it in 2023.
Yoon Yi-na, in her second season and still seeking a first win in the U.S., is another player to watch. After recording just one top-10 finish last year, she has posted six top-10s this season, including two runner-up finishes. She has been in good form recently, including a second-place finish at the Lotte Championship earlier this month, raising expectations for a breakthrough win at home. Kim Sei-young, the defending champion who won wire-to-wire last year for her 13th career title, will try to retain the trophy, while Choi Hye-jin, runner-up at the Buick LPGA Shanghai last week, will again seek her first victory.
From the KLPGA Tour, the field includes Seo Kyo-rim, with four wins this season, Kim Min-sol, with three, and Kim Min-sun and Yoo Hyun-jo, each with two. A win at the tournament earns a place on next year's LPGA Tour, setting up a close contest between the Korean and U.S. tour players.
