01플레이오프 '최종 70인'을 향한 마지막 사투
DP월드투어 '백 나인(Back 9)' 여정의 대미를 장식할 제네시스 챔피언십이 인천 잭 니클라우스 골프클럽 코리아에서 막을 올린다. 이번 대회는 시즌 종료 후 펼쳐질 'DP월드투어 플레이오프' 시리즈에 합류할 상위 70명을 확정 짓는 정규 시즌 마지막 대회로, 레이스 투 두바이(Race to Dubai) 랭킹을 끌어올리려는 선수들에게는 놓칠 수 없는 기회다.
플레이오프의 첫 관문인 아부다비 HSBC 챔피언십에 진출하기 위해서는 이번 대회 종료 시점까지 반드시 랭킹 70위 이내에 이름을 올려야 한다. 현재 커트라인 경계선에 머물러 있는 선수들에게 이번 제네시스 챔피언십 성적은 시즌 성패를 좌우할 분수령이 될 것이며, 더 나아가 상위 50명만 나설 수 있는 최종전 DP월드투어 챔피언십을 향한 발판이 된다.
순위 싸움은 플레이오프 진출권뿐만 아니라 내년 시즌 투어 카드 유지 여부로도 이어진다. 이번 대회 결과에 따라 레이스 투 두바이 랭킹 상위 110위까지 2025년 시즌 DP월드투어 출전권이 부여되는 만큼, 시드 확보를 위한 하위권 선수들의 절박한 생존 경쟁과 우승을 노리는 강자들의 격돌이 그 어느 때보다 뜨겁게 펼쳐질 전망이다.
02Original (English) — DP World Tour
This week's Genesis Championship is the final event of the regular season and the last chance to play your way into the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
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When the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World shake out on Sunday, the top 70 available players will be heading to the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
The top 50 after the week at Yas Links will then play a second consecutive Rolex Series event at the season finale, the DP World Tour Championship.
Here, we take at some of the players around and below 70th place on the DP World Tour who are playing this week's event in South Korea.
What a story it would be if the Englishman were to secure his DP World Play-Offs debut. He has finished in the top 70 before in 2023 but that was before the Play-Offs era and achieved despite missing five months with a hand injury. The following season he would play just three times, this time succumbing to a wrist problem, but he bounced back to regain his card at the Qualifying School in 2025. The man who won Final Qualifying in 2016 and the Road to Mallorca in 2022 has five top tens and was as high as 25th in the Rankings earlier in the year so will be confident he can have another good week and head to the Middle East.
The Chinese was on course for a Play-Off spot last season but did not play in India or at this event and ended up missing out by one spot. He will be hoping to avoid a similar fate this time around and is keeping his destiny firmly in his own hands. Winner of the inaugural Global Amateur Pathway Rankings in 2024, he has taken to the professional game like a duck to water but will be looking to halt a slide down the Rankings that has been present since he was runner-up at his season-opener at the BMW Australian PGA Championship. He has only made one move up since, with no other top tens and four missed cuts in his last five starts but, should he make it to Abu Dhabi, he has every chance of making a big impact.
The South African claimed his maiden victory and a DP World Tour card with his remarkable 14-shot win at the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship in May, a result which catapulted him 130 places up the Rankings. He steadily racked up points thereon after, missing just two possible starts, but has missed his last three cuts to fall outside the top 70, although he sits less than two points behind Ding. With a closing 54 holes of 64-63-63 in Spain, he proved he can go seriously low and anything even close to that will easily extend his season.
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Another winner in 2026 fighting to extend their season, the Hainan Classic presented by MAEXTRO champion will certainly have fond memories of this event. It was 12 months ago when, fighting to keep his card rather than make the Play-Offs, he holed out for eagle on the 72nd hole to retain his playing privileges in spectacular fashion. Since then he has won his second DP World Tour title but in the 20 events since his triumph in China, he has made just five cuts. He would be the first to admit, however, his career has often been feast or famine, and a first played weekend in eight last time out provides some momentum as he looks for a Play-Off debut.
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A dual member, this week's home hero has played a limited DP World Tour schedule in 2026 but there is no question he has shown up on the big stage. After finishing third at the Crown Australian Open, he made the cut at the Masters Tournament and US PGA Championship before a rare weekend off at the U.S. Open. Back-to-back top tens over a fortnight at the Genesis Scottish Open and Open Championship meant he continued to rack up the points and there is little doubt the World Number 14 is the man the players ahead of him will fear the most.
The third 2026 winner on this list, Sterne would surely love to make the Play-Offs and continue his history with the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship. He was the only player at last season's 20th anniversary that also played in the inaugural edition and shared the first-round lead, posting four rounds in the 60s for a top 15. His victory at this summer's Soudal Open was his first in 13 years but is so far his only top ten of the campaign and he is yet to make a cut on the Back 9. All that said, the 45-year-old has faced many battles in his career due to injury and there is no way he will go down without a fight.
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Since regaining his card at the Qualifying School in 2023, the Dutchman has found some consistency that was perhaps lacking before and along with becoming a DP World Tour winner, has made the Play-Offs the past two seasons. That consistency has been his strength in 2026, with 21 made cuts from 27 starts and three top tens including at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. But outside of those top tens he has only twice finished in the top 28, the result he will need to have any chance of heading to the UAE.
To view the full race to Dubai Rankings click here.
To view a breakdown of Race to Dubai Points, with a total of 5,000 on offer this week, click here.
Features
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood says he "can't wait" to return to the DP World India Championship after reflecting on the memories that made last year's inaugural event one of the standout weeks of his season.