Junghwan Lee stormed to his maiden DP World Tour title as he won the Genesis Championship on home soil.
The Korean carded the lowest round of the day at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, a seven under par 64, to win by two strokes from Englishman Laurie Canter and Spain’s Nacho Elvira.
With this victory, the 34-year-old has secured an exemption on the DP World Tour until the end of the 2027 season and earned a place in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a fortnight’s time, the first event of the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
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Starting the day four strokes behind overnight leaders Elvira and Mikael Lindberg of Sweden, the deficit was widened as he bogeyed the second hole.
But Lee rallied emphatically as he made five consecutive birdies from the third to turn in four under, just two strokes behind Elvira who had claimed the solo lead on ten under par.
He made his sixth birdie of the day at the tenth and moved into a share of the lead after another gain at the 14th hole, which he then held outright after Elvira bogeyed the 11th.
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A birdie at the last saw him sign for an 11 under par total, and Elvira’s challenge faded as he bogeyed his final two holes.
Canter eagled the last to move into a share of second place alongside Elvira on eight under par, moving up to ninth place on the Race to Dubai Rankings and firmly in the hunt to earn dual-membership with the PGA TOUR for 2026.
There was all to play for on the final day of the Genesis Championship, with the Top 115 on the Race to Dubai Rankings at the conclusion of the event securing their playing rights for next season. Sweden’s Niklas Lemke, who wasn’t competing this week, ended the year in 115th position.
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Jordan Gumberg of America kept his card in spectacular fashion as he holed out for eagle on the 18th hole from 70 yards to sign for a three under par 68 to finish in a share of seventh on six under par, moving from 127th place on the Rankings at the start of the week up to 110th.
Player Quotes
Junghwan Lee: “I feel like I’m in a dream, I still can’t believe I won so it’s really hard to describe how I’m feeling right now.
“I think overall I played very well, but on 12 I had a tee-shot miss and I thought I was done there but I was able to save that ball, and that’s when I thought the tables are turning and the gods are looking down on me.
“I really feel like I’m dreaming. I really, really wanted to go to DP World Tour and I was actually working really hard towards that goal, but somehow I was coming up short a little bit – I was really making the effort – and now I have this really great opportunity.
“I’m just really grateful, I still feel like I’m in a dream and I’ll be going to Abu Dhabi, and to be on these courses that I’ve been watching on TV and side by side playing with all these players I’ve been following on TV. It feels like a dream.”
