Mathieu Wood
Woo Jeong Hills is the newest venue – the 460th – to stage a DP World Tour event at this week’s Genesis Championship in South Korea.
Located in Cheonan, approximately 90 minutes from capital city Seoul, the venue opened in 1993 and was designed by Perry Dye, son of renowned architect Pete Dye.
From 2003 to 2024, it was the host venue for the Kolon Korea Open on the Asian Tour and has welcomed a host of established globally recognised stars.
Rickie Fowler won his first title as a professional in Korea's national championship in 2011, with Major champions John Daly, Vijay Singh and Y.E. Yang among others to have lifted silverware, while Rory McIlroy competed at the venue in 2013.
After a renovation project by Dye Designs Group to all 18 putting surfaces earlier this year which updated the size, contouring and drainage of the greens, the layout now plays host to the Genesis Championship for the first time, an event co-sanctioned by the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association.
The tree-lined parkland course measures 7,367 yards and will play to a par-71, with the signature hole the picturesque island par-three 13th, which measures 228 yards on the scorecard.
Home favourite Byeong Hun An is the defending champion this week and he said Woo Jeong Hills is more reflective of the majority of courses in Korea than Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea.
"This is a typical Korean golf course," he said. "Last year, Jack Nicklaus, wasn’t a typical Korean course, it was flat. This week it’s very hilly, like a lot of other Korean courses."
An added: "It’s a tough test to get the distance right with a lot of uphills and downhills. The greens are tricky with little mounds here and there. I’ve had some problems reading the greens with double-breakers. On the green it will be a tough test.
"It’s not a long course, but with the wind it plays longer. Around the greens and on the greens will be key this week."
With wide fairways, which have zoysia grass, length off the tee is likely to be an advantage, but the greens are set to be the biggest defence, running at 11.9 on the Stimpmeter in practice.
Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, a four-time DP World Tour winner, said: "I like the course a lot. It will encourage long hitting, the fairways are wide and they are also in immaculate condition.
"Not that thick rough, it’s pretty playable. Hitting it long off the tee will be an advantage.
"The greens were big, very tricky with subtle but long slopes. You have to pay extra attention because there’s a lot of tricky putts out there and the greens were rolling quick yesterday [Tuesday]."
While largely echoing compatriot An and Cabrera Bello, 2019 Genesis Championship winner Sungjae Im highlighted the importance of accuracy - and not just length - off the tee.
"With the renovation, the greens and grass have gotten better," he said.
"Woo Jeong Hills is known for slopey greens. Not missing the fairway will be important as getting accurate shot out of rough will be difficult."
