The DP World Tour returns to South Korea this week after a decade-long absence on its schedule as Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea plays host to the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis. Here are your five things to know.
Long-awaited return to Korea
Ahead of the Tour returning to mainland Europe next week for the DS Automobiles Italian Open, the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon – previously a Presidents Cup host venue – plays host to the inaugural Korea Championship. A week after Japan became the 51st different country to host a DP World Tour event, the Tour marks another significant moment with a return to South Korea after a decade-long absence on its schedule. Australian Brett Rumford was the last player to celebrate success in the country at the 2013 Ballantine’s Championship, defeating countryman Marcus Fraser and Peter Whiteford of Scotland in a play-off. This week’s US$2 million event is the first being co-sanctioned with the Korea Professional Golfers' Association and builds on the recently announced expansion of the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR’s relationship with the KPGA. “The tournament is an important part of the DP World Tour’s partnership with the KPGA, providing a clear pathway for KPGA Tour players to compete at the highest levels of men’s professional golf,” Keith Pelley, DP World Tour Chief Executive, said.
Home hopes in the field
Three-time DP World Tour winner Wang Jeunghun spearheads the contingent of Korean players in the field aiming to impress on home soil. Since his return to the DP World Tour at the start of the season after around two years away to complete his mandatory military service, he has registered top tens in Singapore and Thailand and arrives 43rd on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex. The Seoul native is joined by Kim Yeongsu, who will be making his fourth DP World Tour start since earning membership by winning 2022 Genesis Point Award on the Korea Professional Golfers' Association in 2022. Kim will have fond memories of playing at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea after he claimed his very first KPGA Korean Tour title at the venue last year. As a result of winning the Genesis Championship in October, he will also gain entry into the Genesis Scottish Open, the Rolex Series event which is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR. Two-time PGA TOUR winner and 2015 Presidents Cup International team member Bae Sangmoon will also be aiming to deliver in front of his home fans on a tournament invite. Another player under the home spotlight will be Minkyu Kim, who became the youngest winner of a European Tour group event at the age of 17 with his victory at the Challenge Tour's D+D REAL Czech Challenge in 2018.
Genesis supporting worldwide golf again
Genesis is no stranger to golf and is reaffirming its commitment to the sport this week as Presenting Partner of the event. Since the brand’s inception in 2015, the luxury car company has sponsored a range of golf tournaments in Korea and globally, including the Genesis Championship on the KPGA Korean Tour, the Genesis Invitational on the PGA TOUR, and the Presidents Cup. Last season, it also became the title sponsor of the Genesis Scottish Open, as Scotland’s national open was co-sanctioned for the first time by the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR as part of their historic Strategic Alliance.
Tour winners aiming for more success
There are no fewer than six winners on Tour so far this season in the hunt for more silverware this week. Adrian Meronk, who won his second title at the start of the campaign in Australia, is the highest-ranked player in the field. He is joined by Hero Cup teammate Antoine Rozner, who won his third career title in Mauritius in the final event of the 2022 calendar year. Matthew Baldwin celebrated his maiden DP World Tour win at the SDC Championship last month and was in the field when the Tour was last in Korea for the Ballantine’s Championship in 2013. In another great storyline so far this campaign, Marcel Siem returned to the DP World Tour winner’s circle after an eight-year wait at the Hero Indian Open, while Daniel Gavins claimed a dramatic second Tour win in Ras Al Khaimah. Jorge Campillo is the final player in the field aiming to become just the second player to win twice this season, after Ockie Strydom.
Remote production saves almost 90 tonnes of carbon emissions
The European Tour group is committed to promoting golf in an environmental and socially sustainable way, with this week’s tournament the second remote production of the 2023 DP World Tour season. Following on from last year’s Cazoo Open de France at Le Golf National, the Singapore Classic became the second such event with the support of Official DP World Tour Supplier Tata Communications. The live production crew will be working on the coverage from our London-based office rather than on site in Korea, saving 87.3 tonnes of carbon emissions. That is the equivalent of driving more than 520,00km in a diesel car and keeping almost 1,000 fridges powered for one year. The remote operation is another step in moving towards a more sustainable future of production. Last year, the European Tour group became the first professional golf Tour to announce its commitment to achieving net zero by 2040, by becoming a signatory to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.
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