World No.451 Wins DP World Tour's Genesis Championship After Round Of The Week Fuels Four-Stroke Comeback

World No.451 Junghwan Lee posted the low round of the week to roar back from five strokes off the pace and win the 2025 Genesis Championship, consequently securing a DP World Tour card for the next two seasons.

The South Korean - who had predominantly played on the Korean Tour and the Asian Tour throughout his pro career - was making a rare DP World Tour start at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club and had put himself in a decent position for a big pay check through three rounds.

Lee began four strokes behind co-leaders Mikael Lindberg and Nacho Elvira before quickly dropping to five back after a bogey at the second.

However, five consecutive birdies from the third catapulted the 34-year-old into contention, just one stroke behind Elvira who was at 10-under.

As others near the top of the leaderboard stumbled, Lee made gains at 14 and 18 to post 11-under and sign for the low round of the week, a seven-under 64.

Forced to watch on nervously in the clubhouse, Lee saw Elvira retake the lead with a birdie at the 15th before bogeys at 17 and 18 dropped the Spaniard back into a share for second alongside Laurie Canter, who drained a 100-foot eagle putt at the last.

In the end, Lee's margin of victory was three strokes and the South Korean - who saw off the likes of Hideki Matsuyama, Si Woo Kim and defending champion, Byeong Hun An - was able to celebrate a life-changing victory in front of his home fans.

As a result of his win, Lee will compete in next week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - the first round of the DP World Tour Playoffs - and has achieved his dream of making it to the historic European circuit.

Speaking afterwards, Lee said: "I feel like I'm in a dream, I still can't believe I won so it's really hard to describe how I'm feeling right now.

"I think overall I played very well, but on 12 I had a tee-shot miss and I thought I was done there. But I was able to save that ball, and that's when I thought the tables are turning and the gods are looking down on me.

"I really feel like I'm dreaming. I really, really wanted to go to DP World Tour and I was actually working really hard towards that goal, but somehow I was coming up short a little bit - I was really making the effort - and now I have this really great opportunity. I'm just really grateful."

In a share of fourth was Italy's Andrea Pavan, England's Andy Sullivan and Japan's Katsuragawa at seven under.

Then, high-profile names such as Matsuyama and Thomas Detry were among the group on six-under who shared seventh. The top-10 was completed by Lindberg, Angel Ayora, Seungbin Choi, Minhyuk Song and Jordan Gumberg - the American eagled the last from the fairway to keep his card for next season.