The CJ Cup, originally played at Nine Bridges Golf Club in South Korea, is now in Year-3 as a stateside event. After two years in Las Vegas (2020 at Shadow Creek and 2021 at the Summit Club), this year’s iteration is at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Back in June of 2021, Congaree played host to the Palmetto Championship, which was played in place of the Canadian Open that year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. What a time to be alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just like last week’s ZOZO Championship, the CJ Cup is a 78-man no-cut event, but the field is absolutely loaded. The top 60 in last season’s final FedEx Cup standings qualify, along with numerous Asian and Korean Tour qualifiers, to round out the field. I’m sure the goal is to return to South Korea at some point, but hosting this in the states has resulted in exceptionally strong fields, and this year is no different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though it was just one event, we’re not flying blind at Congaree. The field wasn’t great, but we got a sense of what it’ll take to win on this unique and sprawling layout. A 7,685-yard Par-71 track, Congaree is a challenging Tom Fazio design, with generous fairways and Australian-like sandbelts lining the course, in place of rough, on nearly every hole. Most green complexes are raised with tightly mowed run-offs, and since the length forces a lot of approach shots from 200+ yards out, lag putting is crucial, and three-putt avoidance is essential to contending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more course details, check out Ron’s<\/a> course preview<\/a>, but here’s an important tidbit: <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the reasons this is such a unique and challenging course is that every hole stands out on its own. Each of the par 3s is a stiff test averaging 0.15 strokes over par. Two of them are fronted by water, with the greens sloping toward the hazard area. There are two driveable par 4s that each measure 360 yards and produced birdie or better rates of 34% in 2021. The 8th hole is full of character and is probably one of the toughest par 4s in the world. Measuring as long as 540 yards, there is a long carry off the tee over water and a waste area. The raised green is fronted by a vast expanse of sand and takes an almost perfect long iron approach to hold the green.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are millions of ways to bet on this beautiful game, and my goal with this piece is to touch on the golfers I’m targeting this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n