DP World and PGA tours expand Korea partnership

The DP World and PGA tours have announced an expansion of their relationship with the Korean PGA.

From this season, the KPGA Genesis Point Award winner will earn immediate DP World Tour membership, while a new tournament has also been launched in the country.

Others who finish high on the KPGA points list will also earn entry into various stages of DP World Tour Q-school. Further expansions are to be discussed for 2024 and beyond.

As a result of the strengthened relationship, Youngsoo Kim is now exempt for the European circuit, having topped the points list in 2022. He has also been granted entry into the Genesis Scottish Open, which is co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour.

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For the first time in ten years, the DP World Tour will host an event in Korea in 2023. Co-sanctioned by the European circuit and the KPGA, it will take place at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon.

It marks the next stage of a significant strengthening of the tours’ presence in Asia amid the growing threat posed by LIV Golf.

“The KPGA has a strong history of producing exceptional talent and we are delighted to confirm these formal pathways, giving players clearly defined routes to showcase their skills on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour,” said DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

“Combined with our tournament in Korea next April, we look forward to working closely with the KPGA and the PGA Tour to inspire, and to enable, future generations of Korean players to reach the very top of the men’s professional game.”

“Sungjae Im, K.H. Lee, Si Woo Kim and Joo-hyung ‘Tom’ Kim are all becoming household names in the United States thanks in large part to the contributions they made this past September for the International Team at the 2022 Presidents Cup,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

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“What each of those young stars has in common is that they all honed their craft at the KPGA, which continues a proud tradition of producing world-class talent each and every year. We look forward to seeing the next set of young stars from this proud golf country make their way onto the DP World Tour and perhaps subsequently onto the PGA Tour in future seasons.”

Ja-Cheol (J.C.) Koo, Chairman of the KPGA, said: “It has been our honour to see Korean Tour winners go on to have similar success at the top echelon of the men’s professional game. We are certain that today’s announcement will help further grow the sport in Korea, and we are grateful to be officially welcomed into the meritocracy that the men’s professional game provides.”