Tour winner fights back tears as he delivers emotional apology after losing DPWT card

Multiple DP World Tour winner Kiradech Aphibarnrat was visibly emotional as he apologised for withdrawing from the Genesis Championship.

The 37-year-old, from Thailand, needed a big result at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Korea to keep his card for the 2027 season. 

Aphibarnrat began the week in 106th in the Race to Dubai Rankings, with only players inside the top 100 guaranteed Category 10 status. 

He opened with a 4-over 75 and, after making the turn in 41 strokes in round two on Friday, knew that he wasn't going to do enough so decided to withdraw. 

During an interview with the DP World Tour, Aphibarnrat fought back tears as he explained how much of a struggle this season has been.

He vowed to come back stronger and will tee it up at qualifying school in a few weeks' time. 

He said he found it difficult having to play 11 weeks in a row in a bid to keep his card, adding: "I get here on Tuesday and feel a little tired in my back, but I just can't rest, I have to work really hard, yesterday going out and the game not as good as I expect, so I work quite hard after a while, and this morning feel jammed a little bit, but I have to go out and try, but at some point I just feel like the body just can't move and can't answer what I need to do."

He continued: "I made the cut on the number, week by week, many times, so I feel like my mental part of working twice harder than everyone else, that you're playing solid on the first round, and you have to relax on going out and playing the second round, my game was not quite there, so I really have to try hard from the first hole until the last hole on the second day to make sure I make the cut, so it's so stretched every week, after the round I feel like I don't have any gas left in the tank."

There was an outpouring of emotion towards Aphibarnrat after he delivered an emotional interview after the first round. 

Double bogeys at at the 3rd and 7th meant he faced the almost impossible task of making the cut. 

"First of all I really have to apologise, I really let them down, not many times in my life that I disappoint people, especially my family and all the fan support, in the last 15 years, almost 20 years on the tour, I really have a good career, successful, just last three or four years, it's never been easy, but I'm a fighter, so I believe I'm going to get past all of this, and we'll come back strong."

Aphibarnrat wasn't the only established pro to lose their DP World Tour card. 

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal will also need to head to qualifying school. 

England's Ross FIsher and Germany's Marcel Siem will also have to do the same. 

At the other end of the leaderboard, South Africa's Casey Jarvis shares the lead on 10-under with Frenchman Antoine Rozner.

Open champion Ryan Fox is three strokes adrift of the lead.