Genesis Sponsorship, US PGA Tour '2021 Genesis Invitational' Opens

Hyundai Motor Company announced that the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) Tour tournament, '2021 Genesis Invitational,' sponsored by the Genesis brand as the title sponsor, opened on the 18th local time at The Riviera Country Club in California, USA.

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Hyundai Motor Company announced that the Genesis brand, as the title sponsor, is supporting the PGA (Professional Golfers' Association) Tour tournament, the ‘2021 Genesis Invitational,’ which opened on the 18th local time at The Riviera Country Club in California, USA.

Hosted by Tiger Woods, this tournament is being held as an ‘Invitational’ event for the second consecutive year since 2020. The Genesis Invitational was elevated from an ‘Open’ to an ‘Invitational’ tournament starting in 2020, following an agreement signed in February 2019 between Genesis, the PGA Tour, and the Tiger Woods Foundation (TGR Foundation).

Generally, Open tournaments allow participation from both professional and amateur players, whereas Invitational tournaments only permit players invited by the organizers based on certain criteria such as top prize money rankings and past tournament winners. There are only three Invitational-level tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the Genesis Invitational.

Reflecting the prestige of an Invitational tournament, this event features a large number of world-class golf players. A total of 121 top-tier golfers will compete, including eight players ranked within the top 10 worldwide, such as World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and No. 2 Jon Rahm.

Korean players include Kim Tae-hoon, winner of the KPGA (Korean Professional Golfers' Association) Korean Tour ‘2020 Genesis Championship,’ who is participating as a Genesis invitee challenging the PGA Tour. Other active PGA Tour players such as Kim Si-woo, Kang Sung-hoon, and Lee Kyung-hoon will also compete. Additionally, Korean-American players Kevin Na, James Hahn, and Danny Lee are participating.

The 2021 Genesis Invitational features a total prize fund of $9.5 million, with the winner’s prize approximately $1.7 million, an increase from the 2020 tournament. Besides the prize money, the tournament winner will receive a Genesis SUV GV80 as a trophy, and players who score a hole-in-one on the 14th and 16th holes will be awarded a GV80 and G80, respectively.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the 2021 Genesis Invitational will be held without spectators, and all tournament personnel will undergo COVID testing to ensure safe event management. Genesis will support the tournament by providing 135 disinfected vehicles, including the G70, G80, GV80, and G90, to facilitate safe transportation and event operations during the tournament period.

A Genesis representative stated, “We expect world-class golf players to compete at their best in the ‘2021 Genesis Invitational,’ where we are making every effort to ensure safe tournament operations.” They added, “Through sponsoring the tournament and other activities, Genesis will support the development of golf domestically and internationally while strengthening its position as a luxury brand in the global market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.