In a real nail-biter at the Genesis Championship, Byeong Hun An pulled off a gutsy win over fellow South Korean Tom Kim in a head-to-head playoff.
It’s An’s second DP World Tour title, and he bagged it in style, taking down Kim at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club with fans on the edge of their seats.
The action kicked off with birdies dropping from all over as six players vied for the top spot. Kim looked like he had it in the bag heading into the final hole, especially after An missed a crucial putt for bogey on the previous hole.
But An bounced back, nailing an eight-foot birdie putt to match Kim at 17 under and take this duel into a playoff. Kim, feeling the pressure, missed his own chance at victory, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch on the par-five 18th.
On the playoff hole, both players went bold with their second shots, but Kim’s gamble left him stuck in an awkward spot, and his third shot sent the ball flying into the grandstand.
An needed only two putts to seal the deal, grabbing his first tour win since the 2015 BMW PGA Championship—a nine-year drought finally broken.
Byeong Hun An: It’s great, I’ve had a great season obviously, it’s been too long (to win) on the main Tour. All I tried to do is show some great golf in front of the home fans, it’s been a while since I’ve played in front of them.
It feels amazing, it’s a bit of a shame that Tom had a bit of mess there, but it’s been a great tournament for me, I’ve really enjoyed it.
There has been a lot of fans out there supporting me and Tom, and I feel like we had a great battle today. I just got a little bit lucky to be a winner out there today I think.
I was two shots back, I had a great driver off the deck on the front nine so I thought ‘this is the one to do it’.
The lay-up wasn’t that easy and heading close to the flag, so driver was exactly how I planned it and it’s a shame I missed that (eagle) putt, but I think that was the shot I needed at that moment and that made me get birdie on the following hole. I felt it was the right shot, a little aggressive, but I knew I could pull it off.
It’s a sweet ending for this year, it’s been a great year. I’ve put a lot of work in it. It will be the same next week when I get back, another off-season that I have to work hard for to be better next year.
It was also a standout week for Ricardo Gouveia, who came in ranked 154th in the Race to Dubai and pulled off a hard-fought third-place finish at 16 under, earning his spot for next season.
Ricardo Gouveia: I’m obviously over the moon just to keep my rights for next year, it’s unbelievable. I was trying to win the tournament, but at the same time, the last few holes I knew what my position was so a mix of emotions but so happy, over the moon.
I just came with no expectation. I played well last week but finished poorly, but I came with no expectation and I think this course suited my game. I drove the ball well all week, I hit a lot of nice shots into the greens and I putted much better this week – that was the difference.
To be honest, I only thought on 18 about that (not blowing up and losing my card) on the second shot. The whole layout I was trying to win the golf tournament and I think that’s what kept me close to the top of the leaderboard. I think that was key today.
Frenchman Antoine Rozner was close behind, while Italy’s Guido Migliozzi fired off the day’s best round with a flawless 65, finishing at 14 under.
Elsewhere, Ivan Cantero, who started the tournament on the brink of missing the cut, kept his cool and ended in a solid tie for sixth, lifting him into the top 100 on the Race to Dubai.
Marco Penge’s week was a bit of a roller coaster; he only made the cut by sinking a birdie on Friday’s last hole, but a closing 67 got him a tie for 22nd and a guaranteed tour card for next season.
And for Søren Kjeldsen, it was the end of an era. The Danish legend finished his last full DP World Tour season with a respectable 71.
After 26 seasons, four titles, and 712 starts, he’s now ready to dive into the senior circuit on both the Legends Tour and PGA TOUR Champions.
