Junghwan Lee secures his first DP World Tour victory at the Genesis Championship in South Korea, while Germans finish mid-field.
34-year-old South Korean Junghwan Lee captured his maiden DP World Tour title at the Genesis Championship on home soil. Starting the final round four shots behind co-leaders Mikael Lindberg and Nacho Elvira, Lee opened with a bogey on the second hole, raising doubts about his momentum. However, he quickly turned things around with a consistent performance, carding eight birdies to finish the round at an impressive seven-under-par. Meanwhile, Lindberg faltered with a +2 round, dropping to seventh place, and Elvira’s even-par round with three birdies and three bogeys saw him fall into a tie for second. England’s Laurie Carter joined Elvira in second after a strong 67 on Sunday.
Lee makes big leap in Race to Dubai
With this win, Lee jumped an astonishing 244 spots in the Race to Dubai rankings, now sitting at 63rd. He will head to the DP World Tour Play-Offs next month, beginning with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Reflecting on his victory, Lee said, “It feels like I’m dreaming. I really wanted to play on the DP World Tour and worked so hard for it, but it just didn’t quite happen — I really gave it my all — and now I have this amazing opportunity. I’m just incredibly grateful.”
Mixed results for German and Swiss players
Germany’s Nicolai von Dellingshausen and Max Kieffer finished tied for 42nd alongside six other players. Von Dellingshausen struggled on Sunday with a 73, unable to replicate his earlier form. His three birdies were offset by a double bogey and three additional bogeys. Kieffer posted his best round of the tournament on Sunday with a 68, but his overall score of -1 left him in the lower half of the leaderboard.
Swiss golfer Joel Girrbach delivered a solid final round of 69, finishing tied for 21st at -4 overall. His performance moved him up to 60th in the Race to Dubai standings, helping him achieve his season goal.