Tom Kim’s brutal lipout on the 72nd hole ends with Ben An beating him in a playoff in South Korea

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[PHOTO: Han Myung-Gu]

Two of South Korea’s biggest stars went toe-to-toe in their homeland on Sunday. It ended in heartbreak for one and euphoria for the other at the DP World Tour’s Genesis Championship at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in Incheon.

Ben An, 33, was looking for his first win on the tour in more than nine years and first victory anywhere since February 2022 on the Korn Ferry Tour. He was facing Tom Kim, the 22-year-old who has already won three times on the PGA Tour but had not yet captured at title on the European Tour.

The contest came down to the end with Kim facing a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-5 18th hole for victory. He took a step as the ball trickled towards the cup, but it lipped out in agonising fashion and Kim could only stare in disbelief.

An birdied four of the final six holes and headed to a playoff with Kim. Both men shot final-round, five-under 67s and were tied at 17-under-par total.

The playoff did not last long as it was An who made birdie on the same 18th hole that just cost Kim the tournament, and he captured his first DP World Tour title since the BMW PGA Championship in May 2015.

“It’s great, I’ve had a great season, obviously, it’s been too long [to win] on the main tour,” An said. “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 were two bogeys for An in the final round, but they were offset by the seven birdies. Kim did most of his scoring in the first 14 holes, making six birdies and a bogey during that stretch, but parred the final four holes.

It was an emotional win for An, as he was seen in tears afterwards being able to win with family in attendance. This embrace with his grandmother was a particularly wonderful moment.

“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,” he said.

“It’s a sweet ending for this year, it’s been a great year. This feels amazing, I’m going enjoy it for a while then I’ve got to get back on it.”