The popular veteran will lose his DP World Tour status in 2027 after being forced to withdraw from the Genesis Championship…
This week’s Genesis Championship has so much more than a few million dollars and a shiny trophy on the line. As the final event of the regular DP World Tour season, many players are playing for their future.
Among the more notable stars on the brink are Eddie Pepperell and Matteo Manassero, while Ross Fisher and Pablo Larrazabal are two DP World Tour veterans who will lose their status for next year after missing the cut in Korea. Another, Marcel Siem, headed for the airport after an opening round 82 at Woo Jeong Hills and will suffer the same fate.
But it was a particularly difficult pill for Kiradech Aphibarnrat to swallow. The four-time DP World Tour winner was forced to withdraw after a succumbing to a back problem after a grueling run of 11 straight tournaments. Aphibarnrat started the week 108th in the Race to Dubai Rankings and needed a top-25 in Korea to stand a chance.
Aphibarnrat hasn’t had any time off since the beginning of August, and the Thai star blamed the toll of playing every tournament since the DP World Tour schedule resumed after its standard three-week break that follows The Open.
Speaking after his withdrawal, a visibly emotional Aphibarnrat said his game was “not as good as I expect” after his opening 75, so he “worked quite hard after the round”. But on Friday, before the start of the second round, the 37-year-old said he felt his back “jam”.
“I have no choice,” he explained. “I have to go out and try. But at some point, I feel like my body just can’t move and can’t answer what I need it to do.”
After an outpouring of support his fans, Aphibarnrat, a longtime fan favorite for his colorful personality, apparel and playing style, said: “First of all, I just have to apologize. I really let them down. There’s not many times in my life that I have disappointed people, especially my family and all the fans.
“In the last 15 years I’ve had a really good career but just the last three or four years haven’t been easy. I’m a fighter so I believe I’m going to get past all of this and we’ll come back strong.”
Aphibarnrat will now focus on trying to recover his card at Q School – something he’s done twice before in his career – and he’s trying to stay positive. “Who knows?” he said. “It might be my best year next season.”
You can watch the full interview with Aphibarnrat here:
Heartbreaking for Aphibarnrat, who has withdrawn from the Genesis Championship and subsequently lost his DP World Tour status for the 2027 season 💔
“First of all, I just have to apologise. I really let them (the fans) down. There’s not many times in my life that I have… pic.twitter.com/LHwJcnXFQi
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 23, 2026