Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, 2015 FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth and inaugural winner Justin Thomas have committed to play in THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES from October 17 to 20, 2019.
The five major champions will join previously announced Brooks Koepka, the title holder and current World No. 1, and golf’s living legend and World Golf Hall of Famer, Phil Mickelson in Korea’s only official PGA TOUR tournament which offers a total prize fund of US$9.75 million.
In addition, England’s Tommy Fleetwood and the TOUR’s newest young guns, Collin Morikawa, Matthew Wolff and Korea’s very own Sungjae Im, have also signed up to compete in the third edition of THE CJ CUP, which is the first of three consecutive PGA TOUR tournaments in Asia which include stops in Japan and China this fall.
Garcia, a 10-time PGA TOUR winner and the 2017 Masters Tournament champion, and Spieth, who holds three major titles amongst his 11-career TOUR wins, will be making their debut appearances while Reed, the 2018 Masters winner, will feature for the second time following a T11 finish in 2017. Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner and 2016 PLAYERS champion, will be making his third consecutive start in Jeju following finishes of T5 and T11 in the past two years.
Thomas was a popular champion in 2017 when he arrived as the FedExCup winner and he defeated Marc Leishman in a thrilling play-off to earn his place in history as the first CJ CUP champion. He recently concluded his 2018-19 Season on a high note by winning the BMW Championship before finishing T3 at the TOUR Championship two weeks ago.
Similarly, Reed is in winning form as he won THE NORTHERN TRUST in August for his seventh PGA TOUR victory. He is also widely known as “Captain America” for his outstanding displays in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup for the United States Team.
A CJ Corporation spokesperson said: “The players who will be coming to Jeju for THE CJ CUP are highly talented and will add tougher competition this year. For the past few years, we have put in our best effort for the players and we hope THE CJ CUP will be recognized as a must-attend event among the PGA TOUR players.”
Rated as one of leading stars of the game, Spieth said: “It is a pleasure to compete in THE CJ CUP. Justin has told me a lot about Jeju’s wind as well as the outstanding services provided at the tournament. I’m looking forward to experiencing the event this coming October.”
Like Spieth, Fleetwood is also looking forward to a maiden appearance in THE CJ CUP. A four-time European Tour winner, the Englishman has finished 19th and 16th on the FedExCup points list in the past two seasons on the PGA TOUR.
He will also spend time with selected ‘Bridgekids’, a youth development programme run by CJ Corporation, during the tournament. Young Korean golfers will not only get a chance to improve their skills but also meet PGA TOUR players in person.
Fleetwood, ranked 13th in the world, said: “I’m very happy to meet young golfers from Korea. I hope they can spend quality time with me. I’ve heard Jeju can get pretty windy just like my hometown in England. I hope I can use the wind wisely.”
Tickets for THE CJ CUP is now on sale on the tournament’s official website, www.thecjcup.com. Featuring a 78-man field, the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES will provide Jeju Special Self-Governing Province an opportunity to promote the beauty of Jeju island to the world through the TOUR’s television broadcasts.
CJ Corporation signed a 10-year agreement with the PGA TOUR in 2016 to stage the lucrative tournament which the prize fund is amongst the highest on the PGA TOUR. SBS, the PGA TOUR’s partner in Korea for over 10 years, will be the host broadcaster of the event.