Andy DevaneyRyan Fox has already produced the finish of his year. A birdie at the 72nd hole of The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale in July secured his maiden Major title and the Claret Jug. Now comes the considerably longer business of trying to finish the season as Europe’s Number One.
The 39-year-old New Zealander makes his Genesis Championship debut at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club this week, sitting sixth on the Race to Dubai Rankings with three tournaments remaining.
The mathematics are challenging enough. Unfortunately for Fox, Eugenio Chacarra has also developed the rather inconvenient habit of winning golf tournaments.
Chacarra raises the stakes in the Race to Dubai
Chacarra arrives in Cheonan having taken control of the rankings following his two-shot victory at the DP World India Championship on Sunday.
It was the 26-year-old Spaniard’s third title of the 2026 season and fourth DP World Tour victory overall, moving him ahead of Patrick Reed in second and Rory McIlroy in third.
With the Genesis Championship followed by two Rolex Series events in the DP World Tour Play-Offs, there is still time for the chasing pack to respond. They could probably do without Chacarra maintaining his current form.
Fox certainly recognises the challenge. “I’m lucky to be one of the guys not worrying about it but obviously I want to play well this week to push my way up the Race to Dubai and see if I can contend, although Eugenio Chacarra has made that pretty tough the last few weeks. He’s playing some special golf and I’m looking forward to seeing him this week.”
Chacarra, meanwhile, is enjoying the rewards of a season that has already exceeded most players’ annual ambitions.
It feels great to win four times on the DP World Tour now and three times this season. It’s something unique and it’s not easy to win in golf so I am proud and it’s nice to see my hard work paying off.
For Fox, the Harry Vardon Trophy would add another considerable achievement to a season already defined by his breakthrough at Royal Birkdale. For Chacarra, the opportunity is to turn his impressive run of victories into European Number One status.
Neither can afford to assume the job is finished.
Si Woo Kim wants a victory on home soil
The international field also features two of South Korea’s most recognisable golfers, Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im, who join their fellow Presidents Cup teammate Fox at the tournament.
Kim, currently World Number 14 and the country’s highest-ranked player, returns for his second Genesis Championship appearance. Despite his achievements internationally, a professional victory in South Korea remains an ambition.
He admits that the expectation affected him during last year’s tournament.
Last year I thought I played ok, but it was super pressure. Also, I’ve never won in South Korea, so I want to win so bad. I had so much pressure last year. I think this year will be better, but there’s still going to be a lot of pressure.
Kim believes improved consistency can help him manage that pressure, although Woo Jeong Hills presents its own difficulties.
He describes the course as tricky and narrow, with the grass requiring careful judgement over potential flyer lies. It is the sort of detail that can make a player reconsider an approach shot just when everything appears straightforward.
Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner, brings his own history to the championship, having won the 2019 edition.
Meanwhile, Junghwan Lee returns as defending champion after securing his maiden DP World Tour title at last year’s event. Another victory would make him the first player to successfully defend the Genesis Championship and the first to win it twice.
For Pablo Larrazábal, the equation is brutally simple
While Fox and Chacarra concentrate on the Race to Dubai title, another contest is unfolding much further down the rankings.
The Genesis Championship is the final event of the DP World Tour regular season. The top 100 players on the Race to Dubai Rankings at its conclusion will secure full playing cards for 2027.
It is also the final opportunity to qualify for the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
For Pablo Larrazábal, the situation has reached the stage where there is little point studying the permutations.
The nine-time DP World Tour winner sits 165th in the rankings and needs either victory or an outright second-place finish to retain Category Ten membership for next season.
Having competed for 19 years and played close to 500 DP World Tour events, the Spaniard knows exactly what the situation demands.
I need first or second. If I finish fourth or third, I’m still losing. So I know what to do. For that, I have to play aggressive. I have to start attacking. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, but it’s not about positioning myself.
Larrazábal has winning experience in South Korea, having claimed the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis in 2023. Should he fall short this week, he expects to face Qualifying School at Infinitum, where he has also previously won.
There is no shortage of experience to draw upon. Unfortunately, experience alone does not move anyone up a leaderboard.
Ten years of the Genesis Championship
First staged in 2017, the Genesis Championship celebrates its tenth anniversary this year.
Its development into a co-sanctioned KPGA Tour and DP World Tour event in 2024 has increased its international significance, providing Korean professionals with opportunities to compete alongside established global players.
This week’s field reflects that ambition, bringing together a Major champion, leading Korean golfers, an in-form Race to Dubai leader and established European Tour winners fighting to protect their playing privileges.
Fox knows the value of one well-timed shot in circumstances like these.
Reflecting on last year’s championship, he recalled Jordan Gumberg’s remarkable finish.
My memories from this were actually Jordan Gumberg last year. I remember watching that and seeing him hole out to keep his card which I thought was an amazing story.
It is a useful reminder of what the final regular-season tournament can produce.
Fox arrives in South Korea carrying the Claret Jug and hoping to close the gap on Chacarra. Others will spend the week fighting to ensure they are still part of the conversation next season.
For Larrazábal, even third place will not be enough.
That is a particularly unforgiving way to start a tournament.
