RIDGELAND, S.C. — Reigning FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy will headline the field for next month’s CJ Cup which will be held at the Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland.
The four-time major winner will defend his title which he won last year in Las Vegas.
THE CJ CUP was launched as Korea’s first official PGA TOUR tournament in 2017 and was played for three consecutive years at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island before being relocated to the U.S. due to the challenges of COVID-19. This will be the first time THE CJ CUP will be played in the Southeast region of the U.S. following the staging of the tournament in Las Vegas, first at Shadow Creek Golf Course in 2020 and The Summit Club last year.
McIlroy’s victory at The Summit Club was his 20th career PGA TOUR title but the first in his season debut. McIlroy went on to win twice more during the 2021-22 season, including at the season-ending TOUR Championship where he claimed a record third FedExCup title.
THE CJ CUP in South Carolina marks the second time Congaree has hosted a PGA TOUR event. The club hosted the TOUR’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree in June of 2021, won by South African Garrick Higgo. That tournament was a one-time replacement for the RBC Heritage Open which had been cancelled due to COVID-19.
With the Congaree Golf Club hosting a PGA Tour event, that gives the Palmetto State two Tour events within its borders with the Masters held in nearby Augusta. The Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte is hosting the Presidents’ Cup this week but normally it is the site for the Wells Fargo Championship.
“This will be my first time beginning a PGA TOUR season with a title defense, so I will enjoy drawing back on positive memories from 2021,” McIlroy said in a statement.
“I am really looking forward to seeing what Congaree is all about. From the design of the golf course to the overall player experience, everything I have heard about it from those who played the tournament in 2021 was overwhelmingly positive.”
THE CJ CUP in South Carolina will feature a 78-man field comprised of five players designated by the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), as well as the top-3 available players of Korean nationality from the Official World Golf Ranking as part of CJ Group’s vision to support the development of professional golf in Korea. The remainder of the field will be made up of the leading players from the 2021-22 FedExCup points list and sponsor exemptions. There will be no 36-hole cut.