Shin Sang-hoon leads Genesis points race as Lexus Masters looms

The KPGA Tour's season award race is entering its final stretch. Shin Sang-hoon has moved to the top of the Genesis points standings, with Jung Chan-min and Jang Yu-bin both looking to overturn him.

The 2026 Lexus Masters runs Thursday through Sunday at Club72 Country Club's Ocean Course on Yeongjongdo in Incheon (par 71, 7,076 yards). The tournament carries a purse of 1 billion won ($756,000), with a winner's share of 200 million won, and is expected to draw a field of 102 players.

Now in its third edition, the Lexus Masters is the last event before the season-ending KPGA Tour Championship, which opens Nov. 5. The winner will receive 1,000 Genesis points.

As of Tuesday, Shin leads the Genesis points standings with 5,255.51 points. Jung sits second at 4,744.77 points, trailing by 510.74, while Jang is third at 4,576.75 points, 678.76 behind.

The standings have shifted sharply in recent weeks. Jang, who had held the lead since mid-season, surrendered the top spot to Shin, while Jung vaulted to second after winning the Charity Classic — which ended Oct. 18 — to collect 1,000 points.

If Shin wins this week and Jung finishes fourth or lower while Jang finishes second or lower, Shin will clinch his first career Genesis season award regardless of the outcome at the Tour Championship.

"I enter every tournament aiming to compete for the win," Shin said. "I believe good results will follow naturally from that. I'll focus on the two remaining events themselves rather than the points gap with the other players."

Jung is riding a wave of momentum after his wire-to-wire victory at the Charity Classic, where he led from the first round to the last. He has recorded six top-10 finishes this season, including two runner-up results, and ranks first on tour in scoring average at 69.54 strokes per round.

Jang, a two-time winner this season, is in urgent need of a turnaround. He has not finished inside the top 20 in any of his five starts since a tied-second finish at the Shinhan Donghae Open in September. All eyes are on whether he can shake off the slump and swing the season award race back in his favor over the final two events.

Defending champion Kim Jae-ho, 44, is chasing back-to-back titles. Kim claimed his first tour victory last year at Ferrum Club in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, surviving a four-man playoff in his 210th career start. At 43 years and nine months old at the time, he set the record as the oldest first-time winner in KPGA Tour history.

The venue has changed this year to Club72's Ocean Course. Kim said his wrist had been improving recently, signaling his intent to defend his title.

Park Sang-hyun, 43, and Ham Jung-woo, 32, both sponsored by tournament backer Lexus, will also be in the mix. Park, a 14-time winner on the KPGA Tour, needs about 32 million won more to surpass 6 billion won in career domestic earnings.

The tournament also serves as a qualifying event for the season finale. Only the top 70 players in the Genesis points standings after the Lexus Masters will earn spots in the KPGA Tour Championship. For those outside the top 70, this week's event is in effect their last chance to secure a tour card for next season.