Pablo Larrazabal wins Korea Championship Presented by Genesis

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain won the DP World Tour’s Korea Championship Presented by Genesis at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon on Sunday, beating a competitive field of golfers from around the world to claim his eighth European Tour title

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain kisses the trophy after winning the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon on Sunday. [GETTY IMAGES]

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain won the DP World Tour’s Korea Championship Presented by Genesis at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon on Sunday, beating a competitive field of golfers from around the world to claim his eighth European Tour title and $340,000 in prize money.

A total of 156 golfers started the competition on Thursday, with 60 Korean golfers in the field from both the DP World Tour and KPGA as the top European tour passed back through Korea for the first time in decade.

Larrazabal, who was tied for second place on moving day among 72 golfers that made the cut, shone on the last day of the tournament, carding a five-under-par, 67, to surpass Robert MacIntyre of Scotland, who was the frontrunner on Saturday.

Having made two bogeys and three birdies on moving day, the 39-year-old Spanish golfer made one bogey and six birdies in the final round for a final score of 12-under-par, 276, to take the title.

“It is amazing,” Larrazabal said during a post-round interview. “You know in two weeks, I am turning 40 years old and to play against these 20-year-old guys, to beat them, it is fantastic.”

Larrazabal's win comes just a week before he jets off to attend his older brother's wedding.

“I don’t know if I am bringing the trophy to the wedding,” Larrazabal said. “We are going to have not too many drinks.”

Larrazabal saw a huge improvement from the latest three competitions he participated in. He tied for 107th at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan and tied for 10th at the Hero Indian Open, before managing 38th at the Thailand Classic in February.

“To be able to do it here in Korea, the country we were not coming here for 10 years, the country I just love to play and it is one of my favorite places in the world,” Larrazabal said. “I will be back to Korea to defend this title and hopefully many more times.”

The Korea Championship was the DP World Tour’s first tournament in Korea since the Ballantine Championship in 2013.

Larrazabal also competed in the Ballantine’s Championship in 2013, where he tied for sixth.

“My favorite moment was to kiss this beautiful,” Larrazabal said as he pointed at the trophy. “I just loved this golf course. It was my week, maybe next year, we have a Korean champion, who knows?”

Danish golfer Marcus Helligkilde came in second with two more strokes than Larrazabal.

Park Sang-hyun was the strongest Korean competitor among the 22 home golfers that made the cut.

Park Sang-hyun hits his tee shot on the fourth hole duirng the Korea Championship Presented by Genesis at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon on Sunday. [GETTY IMAGES]

Park tied for third with a two-under-par, 70, in the last round for a nine-under-par, 279, finish, missing out on a chance to become the first Korean golfer ever to win a DP World Tour event on home soil.

“I feel like this was the longest journey ever because there were delays too,” Park said. “It felt like competing for two weeks, but I am satisfied with how I did.

“I think I’ve got a grip. I am happy enough that I was able to end this event with some luck.”

The 40-year-old tied for second on moving day, but dropped to third despite carding three bogeys, three birdies and one eagle in the final round.

“There were so many disappointing moments because my putting wasn’t so good,” Park said. “I missed a birdie on the 15th hole and that led to a bogey on the 17th hole.

“I think I had my best looking moment on the 14th hole.”

The par-4 14th hole on Sunday was where Park managed his only eagle of the tournament.

“The course was 10 out of 10,” Park said. “I can’t think of hard ones, but all the pin positions here were hard overall.

“I might have won the event today if I was five years younger.”

Park has won 11 KPGA tour competitions in his career and his previous best finish at a DP World Tour event was third at the Ballantine’s Championship in 2011 — the same result he recorded at the Korea Championship on Sunday.

Kang Kyung-nam managed the second-best finish by a Korean golfer, coming in tied for 10th with a seven-under-par, 281, alongside countryman Lee Jung-hwan, Andy Sullivan of England and Jeong Weon Ko of France.

Meanwhile, Wang Jeung-hun, who was looking for his fourth DP World Tour title, climbed up the standings on the last day, but tied for 14th with a six-under-par, 282.

The Korean golfers from the KPGA that competed in the Korea Championship will continue to be in action as the KPGA tour schedule continues this week.

The 42nd GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship will tee off at NamSeoul Country Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on Thursday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]