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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Jonny Leighfield

DP World Tour Winners And Losers - Whose Future Changed At The Genesis Championship?

(left) Ricardo Gouveia holds a ball up to acknowledge the crowd while Nicolai Hojgaard does the same (right).

At the end of the DP World Tour's regular season, all 258 players who teed it up at least once through the 42 events now know their finishing position in the Race To Dubai rankings.

For some, this year will have been about experiencing a new chapter in their careers while others have been around the block on several occasions. Around 115 players are guaranteed to enjoy DP World Tour status once again in 2025. However, for an unfortunate cluster of pros, this season might well have been their last on the elite European circuit.

The Genesis Championship marked one final chance to change a player's future, for better or worse, and a handful grasped that opportunity with both hands after making the long trip over to South Korea.

With the top-70 in the Race To Dubai offering a spot in the Abu Dhabi Championship - the first of two playoff stages next month - and the top-114 landing inside the provisional cut-off for the retention of DP World Tour membership, there was plenty to play for for so many at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.

While Byeong Hun An ultimately lifted the Genesis Championship trophy as Tom Kim walked away a beaten challenger, there were plenty more winners and losers on the DP World Tour this week...

PLAYOFF WINNERS

Francesco Laporta during round two of the 2024 Genesis Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

Firstly, there should be a nod to Antoine Rozner for all-but guaranteeing himself a place at the DP World Tour Championship due to his solo-fourth in Korea. He was 50th before this week but moved up 19 spots to 31st and remains in with an outside shout for one of the 10 PGA Tour cards available to DP World Tour golfers as well.

But the biggest winners in the season's final regular event include Francesco Laporta and Casey Jarvis. The Italian was 84th before Korea but managed a T6th result to shoot up 24 places. Meanwhile, South African, Jarvis also ended in T6th and rocketed up from 77th to 59th.

Brandon Stone could have been one of those peering in from just outside the magic mark, but he secured a timely T9th finish to nudge himself forward nine spaces and into 64th.

Another man who would have been a shock omission from the end-of-season series is 2023 Ryder Cup winner, Nicolai Hojgaard, but - luckily for the Danish player - he joined Stone in T9th and ultimately moved up 11 places to 67th on the Race To Dubai rankings. Hojgaard has only played 15 DP World Tour-counting events this season and is likely to be joined by his brother on the PGA Tour in 2025.

While Richard Mansell is ultimately the final man included in the Abu Dhabi Championship next month, Gavin Green was the last mover or shaker to make it happen for himself. 74th before a ball was struck, the Malaysian ended T14th in Korea to squeeze into 69th on the rankings.

PLAYOFF LOSERS

Matthew Baldwin kept his DP World Tour status but missed out on the playoffs by just one spot... (Image credit: Getty Images)

Adrien Saddier and Sean Crocker might have had an eye on flights to the Middle East in November, but that task is no longer on their respective to-do list after play wrapped up at the Genesis Championship.

Crocker was 69th prior to play beginning while Saddier was 70th, but the American was not in the field in Korea and fell to 76th while the Frenchman finished T44th to drop five spots.

Matthew Baldwin also did not have a tee time in the Far East and was helpless to affect change as he moved from 63rd to 71st - the first man outside the cut-off.

Speaking of cuts, Joost Luiten missed his eighth in 25 events this season at the Genesis Championship and slid down from 65th to 74th on the Race To Dubai as a result. Meanwhile, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia made the weekend but ended among the back-markers on two-over and dropped from 67th to a painful 72nd.

DP WORLD TOUR STATUS WINNERS

Ricardo Gouveia looks on during the 2024 Genesis Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

The biggest mover in either direction this week was Portugal's Ricardo Gouveia. Having started the week in 154th and needing a top-five result - minimum - to secure his DP World Tour playing rights, the 33-year-old nailed a solo-third finish through the posts to rise an incredible 54 places on the Race To Dubai.

It was a similar story for Spaniard, Ivan Cantero, although the circumstances were not quite as extreme in that the 2023 Challenge Tour graduate began the Genesis Championship in 117th. Nonetheless, Cantero bagged a very welcome T6th result to fly up into 99th position.

England's Marco Penge won the 2023 Challenge Tour in fine style almost 12 months ago, but he was nearly heading back there if not for a last-gasp tie for 22nd in Korea which helped him snatch one of the last guaranteed memberships for 2025. He was 115th beforehand, which may well have been good enough anyway, but the Englishman left nothing to chance and ended 110th.

DP WORLD TOUR STATUS LOSERS

Ashun Wu hits driver at the 2024 Genesis Championship (Image credit: Getty Images)

Anyone without guaranteed status for the DP World Tour in 2025 will be disappointed, although plenty have the opportunity to head over to Q-School and see what they can do about that.

However, Ashun Wu and Freddy Schott will likely feel more gutted than most after finishing 115th and 117th in the rankings, respectively.

Wu, who won the 2022 Magical Kenya Open, made the cut in Korea but finished dead last of those to play four rounds. And it was that result which saw him drop two spots from 113th. Plenty of pros fell further in terms of number of spots, but Wu's precarious position beforehand has seen his slip cost the most.

Meanwhile, Schott held the 114th and final safe spot before play began this week but went on to miss the cut and stand in 117th after the final putt had dropped.

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