The DP World Tour is approaching the final hurdle of the 2026 season. After this week’s tournament, the play-offs will begin in two weeks.
The Genesis Championship returns to Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Korea. The venue lies around 90 minutes north-east of Seoul.
Opened in 1993, the course is known for its steep fairways and 12 water hazards. As a result, players will need accuracy and strong course management throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, defending champion Junghwan Lee returns to his homeland. He will face several Asian stars, alongside an international field looking to finish the season strongly.
Here, Sports News Blitz golf writer Jay Kennedy picks five players to watch this week.
Si Woo Kim
South Korea’s Si Woo Kim is the first player to consider at the Genesis Championship. He has enjoyed a strong season across the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Kim has recorded 12 top-10 finishes, including three runner-up results. Furthermore, the four-time PGA Tour winner has plenty of experience competing at the highest level.
His biggest victory came at TPC Sawgrass in 2017. He also enjoyed a successful FedEx Cup campaign, entering the season-ending Tour Championship in fifth place.
Kim continued his impressive form at The Open, where he finished tied for sixth. Notably, he also held the lead during the final round.
However, his results at the Genesis Championship have been less impressive. He finished seven shots behind the winner last year, ending the tournament tied for 21st.
Outright winner odds: 11/2 with Sky Bet
Sungjae Im
Another South Korean to watch is Sungjae Im, who already knows what it takes to win this tournament.
Im claimed the Genesis Championship title in 2019. That edition took place at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club.
This season, he has recorded six top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. In addition, three of those results came inside the top five.
However, the major championships proved more challenging. His best result came at Royal Birkdale, where he finished tied for 14th.
Im also competed in last year’s Genesis Championship. Nevertheless, he finished one under par and will hope to improve on that performance this time around.
His previous victory gives him a useful reference point as he returns to South Korea.
Outright winner odds: 8/1 with Sky Bet
Daniel Hillier
Next up is a very talented New Zealander in the form of Daniel Hillier.
Following his outing at last week’s DP World India Championship, the Kiwi rose by six places in the Race to Dubai standings, moving up to eighth place.
The 28-year-old has finished runner-up on three occasions on the DP World Tour this season.
Hillier finished as a runner-up at the Dubai Invitational, the British Masters, and at the DP World India Championship.
The in-form New Zealander won at the Belfry in 2023.
Hillier also won earlier this year on the PGA Tour of Australasia, where he claimed the New Zealand Open.
At last year’s Genesis, Hillier finished in a tie for 38th.
Outright winner odds – 12/1 with Sky Bet
Ryan Fox
Another New Zealander to watch out for is Ryan Fox.
Foxy claimed the biggest win of his entire career, back in July.
The Kiwi clinched the 2026 Open Championship, making birdie on the 72nd hole, to pip Cameron Young to the Claret Jug.
The world number 22 has finished in the top 10 twice this season on the PGA Tour.
Fox finished in the top 10 at the Genesis Invitational and the RBC Canadian Open, in which he was the defending champion at the latter.
Despite finishing T6 at Wentworth last month, Foxy missed the cut at last week’s DP World India Championship.
Outright winner odds – 28/1 with Sky Bet.
Junghwan Lee
The final name to keep an eye on is the defending champion, Junghwan Lee.
The 35-year-old won the 2025 edition at Woo Jeong Hills, three strokes ahead of Laurie Canter and Nacho Elvira.
However, Lee has had a very poor season.
The Korean has missed the cut in 12 events, and his best finish was T23 at the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Outright winner odds – 125/1 with SkyBet
It is set to be yet another exciting Asian adventure on the DP World Tour.
The crowd will have several hometown heroes to keep an eye out for.
The tough course layout will be a complex test for the entire field, but only one player will come out on top.
With the DP World Tour Playoffs kicking off at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, from November 5-8, who will claim the final bragging rights?
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