{"id":5295,"date":"2022-10-18T13:09:39","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T13:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/?post_type=article&p=5295"},"modified":"2022-10-19T02:12:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T02:12:21","slug":"2022-cj-cup-congaree-golf-club-course-preview","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/article\/2022-cj-cup-congaree-golf-club-course-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 CJ Cup \u2013 Congaree Golf Club \u2013 Course Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tucked away in the southern corner of South Carolina’s Low Country sits a strategic masterpiece. Congaree Golf Club is a Tom Fazio design with wide-open fairways, no rough, over 130 acres of sand used to divide holes, and tricky green complexes. Located about 30 minutes from Savannah, Georgia, the course was modeled after the sandbelt courses of Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The club will host a PGA Tour event for the second time after being the venue for the Palmetto Championship in 2021 where South African Garrick Higgo won his first career Tour event. It will require an all-around tee-to-green skillset in firm and fast conditions that emphasizes total driving (distance and accuracy), long-iron play and “around the green” play from a variety of difficult lies to fast Bermuda greens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week’s CJ Cup has a staggeringly good field compared to the first few events of the fall swing season. 15 of the top 20 and six of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking are playing this week. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler headlines the list, followed by Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Matt Fitzpatrick. Numerous Presidents Cup competitors are in attendance including Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, and Sam Burns among others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only top-25 players not in attendance this week are Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Will Zalatoris. Like last week’s ZOZO Championship, the CJ Cup is a no-cut event with a 78-player field with 60 of them qualifying from last season’s FedExCup standings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Course History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Named after the Indian tribe that once called the area home, the property has a rich history that dates back for centuries. During the American Revolution, the land was used as a rice plantation homestead. When the Civil War came in the 1860s, on his infamous march across the south, Union General, William Sherman ordered the main house and buildings to be burnt to the ground. Fast forward to 2017 and the land was selected as a perfect site to build a sand-based golf course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When famed architect Tom Fazio was selected as the designer, the intention was to transform the backwoods of the Carolina landscape into an Australian sand belt-type course. He wanted a natural layout that allowed a links-style ground game on a firm and fast sandy terrain. Fazio has a history of this as in the 1980s he transformed the desert wasteland outside of Las Vegas into one of the lushest courses you will ever see in Shadow Creek. He even called Congaree a “low country Shadow Creek.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took nine months of clearing pine trees and grinding stumps to clear the land. Many oaks were uprooted and replanted in other parts of the course. Ponds and lakes were created without disturbing existing wetlands. Finely cut Australian-style bunkers contrast with the edges of fairways and greens. These sandy waste areas that make up large portions of the course can lead to some very tricky lies as evidenced by the video below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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