At the ‘War of Stars’ battlefield, The CJ Cup, attention is focused on what kind of report card Korean players will write this year.
The CJ Cup (total prize money of $10.5 million, prize money of 1.89 million dollars) kicked off on the 20th (local time) at the Congaree Golf Club (par 71, 7655 yards) in Ridgeland, South Carolina, USA. . As the 5th game of the 2022-2023 season, 6 out of 10 world rankings and 15 out of 20 players will participate, heralding the ‘War of the Stars’. 2022 PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas (8th U.S.), 2022 US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick (10th England), world No. Peace (13th, USA) will start the 2022-2023 season through this competition.
The CJ Cup, established in 2017, is celebrating its 6th anniversary this year. It was held in Korea until 2019, but moved to the United States in 2020 due to the aftermath of COVID-19. The CJ Cup, which is sponsored by a Korean company, has not yet been won by Korean players. In 2017, Kim Min-hwi’s 4th place was the best. In 2019, Ahn Byung-hoon tied for sixth place, and last year, Lim Seong-jae tied for ninth and ranked in the top 10. Korean players are expected to perform well this year.
Kim Joo-hyeong, the youngest two-winner on the PGA Tour, Kim Si-woo, Im Seong-jae, Lee Kyung-hoon, and Ahn Byung-hoon were named. In particular, Joo-Hyung Kim and Seong-Jae Lim are sponsored by the CJ Cup, so the motivation to win the sponsor’s tournament is certain.
Kim Joo-hyung has won the Wyndham Championship in August and the Schreiners Children’s Open this month. Kim Joo-hyung, who won two championships in the last three months, wrote history as a player who recorded two wins before the age of 21, the first time in 26 years since Tiger Woods (USA). Joo-Hyung Kim, who is also attracting attention on the PGA Tour, is playing with defending champions Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Ricky Fowler (USA), raising expectations. The runner-up of the FedEx Cup, Seongjae Lim, will also challenge to win the tournament hosted by the sponsor. Im Seong-jae has participated in this competition for 5 years in a row. Im Seong-jae plays a round with World No. 1 Scotty Schaeffler and Rookie of the Year nominee Cameron Young (USA).
‘PGA Rookie’ Kim Seong-hyeon secured a spot as a top Korean player in the world golf rankings. In addition, players active in the Korean Tour of Korea Professional Golf (KPGA) also presented a challenge. Kim Bio, Park Sang-hyun, Seo Yo-seop, Kim Young-soo, Bae Yong-joon, Jeong Chan-min, Shin Sang-hoon, etc.
Reporter Jung Mi-eun [email protected]