The CJ Cup in South Carolina – Preview & Picks

Keegan Bradley takes the Zozo Championship capturing his fifth win on the PGA Tour. He’s been playing some great golf as of late. Rickie Fowler has also seemed to turn his game around with back-to-back top-6 finishes. He has another sponsors exemption, so he’ll be teeing it up at Congaree this week.

The 6th edition CJ Cup takes place this week at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Despite it being the sixth edition, this will be the first time it’s been held at this course.

 

Tournament Information:

• Dates: October 20th, 2022 – October 23rd, 2022
• Location: Ridgeland, South Carolina, United States
• Course: Congaree Golf Club
• Course Type: Carolina
• Par: 71 (4x 3’s / 11x 4’s / 3x 5’s)
• Length: 7,655 yards
• Format: 72-hole stroke play
• Greens: Champion bermudagrass
• Fairways: TifGrand bermudagrass
• Rough: N/A
• Sand/ Waste Areas: 130 acres
• Water Hazards: 6 (In-Play 10 Holes)
• Average Green Size: 6,150 sq. ft.
• Stimpmeter: 11 ft.
• Purse/ Winner: $10,500,000 /$1,890,000
• FedEx Cup Points: 500
• Field/ Cut: 78 Players | No Cut
• Course Scoring Average:
  • 2021 (Palmetto Championship): 71.74 (+0.74), Rank 12 of 51 Courses

 

Comparable Courses & Greens:

 

TV Information:

• Round 1: Thursday, October 20th, 2022
  • Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Round 2: Friday, October 21st, 2022
  • Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Round 3: Saturday, October 22nd, 2022
  • Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Round 4: Sunday, October 23rd, 2022
  • Golf Channel – 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

 

Weather:

• Thursday: Partly Cloudy 74 F, 5 mp/h E, 20% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain
• Friday: Mostly Sunny 74 F, 6 mp/h SE, 24% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain
• Saturday: Mostly Sunny 72 F, 15 mp/h SSW, 27% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain
• Sunday: Sunny 68 F, 9 mp/h WSW, 29% Humidity, 0% Chance of Rain

 

Course/ Tournament History:

The CJ Cup was first established during the 2017-28 season. For the first three years, it was held at Nine Bridges Golf Course in South Korea. Then in 2020, it was shifted to Shadow Creek Golf Course before being moved again in 2021 to the Summit Club. This year, it will be held at Congaree Golf Club for the first time. Oddly enough, Tom Fazio designed Shadow Creek, the Summit Club, and Congaree Golf Cub.

Congaree Golf Club is one of the newer courses on Tour being established in 2017. It was founded by two billionaires Dan Friedkin and Bob McNair. After McNair passed, the course experienced a lack of memberships. They took an interesting approach to the solution and now have roughly 250 “ambassadors” instead of members. These  “ambassadors” are very prominent individuals that help promote the course.

With the cancellation of the RBC Canadian Open in 2021, the PGA needed an event to fill that spot. The Palmetto Championship was created and Congaree Golf Club was elected to play host. Back in 2019, Congaree also made a pitch to host the 2025 President’s Cup but were unsuccessful.

72-Hole Record (Congaree GC): 273, Garrick Higgo (2021, The Palmetto Championship)

18-Hole Record (Congaree GC):  64, Wes Roach (First round, 2021), Ryan Armour (Fourth round, 2021), Will Gordon (Fourth round, 2021)

 

Course Guide/ Scorecard:

Congaree Golf Club is a Par 71 that plays 7,655 yards. The layout features four Par 3’s, eleven Par 4’s, and three Par 5’s. Tom Fazio modeled this layout after courses of the Australian Sandbelt. There’s virtually no rough with over 130 acres of sand/ waste areas. Water also comes into play on over half of the holes.

The four Par 3’s range between 170 yards and 230 yards. At the 2021 Palmetto Championship, all four of the Par 3’s had a scoring average over par.

No. 14 is the longest Par 3. Players will have a fairly straightforward shot onto one of the largest greens on the course. The only worry is the waste area along the front right of the green.

There are three Par 4’s that are over 500 yards. No. 3 and 15 are the shortest Par 4’s listed at 360 yards with the longest being No. 8, at 540 yards.

No. 8 is the signature hole of Congaree. It’s the longest Par 4 on the course playing 540 yards. Off the tee, players will have to hit over a body of water onto a narrow fairway. They’ll hit into an elevated green that’s surrounded by bunkers on all sides. If they miss short right, that same body of water they faced off the tee will come into play.

The three Par 5’s are No. 2, 4, and 12. No 4 is the only Par 5 that is listed over 600 yards. All of the Par 5’s had a scoring average below par at the 2021 Palmetto Championship.

No. 4 is the longest Par 5 listed at 645 yards. It’s fairly straight with the off-the-tee with no real issues. As players approach the green, water does come into play off the right side along with several bunkers.

Featured/ Signature Hole(s): 8

For a hole-by-hole overview of the course, you can click the following link.

 

Key Statistics:

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
• Strokes Gained: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green
• Strokes Gained: Putting (Bermudagrass)
• Sand Saves
• Comparable Courses and Event History

 

The Field/ Odds:

This week’s event will feature a 78-player field with no cut. Six of the top 10 in world rankings will tee it up at Congaree Golf Club. The field is comprised of the top 60 PGA Tour players from the previous season’s FedEx Cup standings, winners of the KPGA Championship and Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour, the top 3 players on the Korean Tour money list, the top available player from the Asian Tour, the top available Korean player from the Asian Tour, the top next 3 available Korean players from the Official World Golf Ranking, and 8 sponsor exemptions.

• Rory McIlroy (+700), is the defending champion winning the 2021 CJ Cup at Summit. He’ll be making his first start on the PGA Tour this season. He did not play in the 2021 Palmetto Championship so this will be his first appearance at Congaree Golf Club.
• Jon Rahm (+900), is coming off a win at the Spanish Open. He’ll be making his first start of the 2022-23 season. Rahm finished 17th at the CJ Cup back in 2020 and did not play in the 2021 Palmetto Championship.
• Scottie Scheffler (+1200), will be making his first start of the 2022-23 season. We last saw him at Quail Hollow where he had a disappointing President’s Cup performance. He’s played in two CJ Cup’s finishing T52 in 2020 and T38 in 2021. He also did not play in the 2021 Palmetto Championship.
• Justin Thomas (+1400), has won the CJ Cup twice before. Both times when it was hosted at Nine Bridges. JT will be making his first start of the season after playing at the President’s Cup. He did not play in the 2021 Palmetto Championship so this will be his first appearance at Congaree Golf Club.
• Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200), will be making his first start of the 2022-23 season. He has a great course history finishing T10 in the 2021 Palmetto Championship.

 

Previous Winners in the field (CJ Cup): Rory McIlroy (’21), Justin Thomas (’19,’17)

Notable Withdraws: None

 

To see the most up-to-date odds, you can click the following link.

To see the full field for this event, you can click the following link.

 

Horses for Courses (2021 Palmetto Championship):

• Tyrrell Hatton: T2
• Matt Fitzpatrick: T10
• Chez Reavie: T14
• Harris English: T14
• Seamus Power: T19
• Beau Hossler: T19

 

Previous Winners Scores & Prices:

• 2021 @ Summit: Rory McIlroy (-25)
  • Price: 22-1
• 2020 @ Shadow Creek: Jason Kokrak (-20)
  • Price: 100-1
• 2019 @ Nine Bridges: Justin Thomas (-20)
  • Price: 15-2
• 2018 @ Nine Bridges: Brooks Koepka (-21)
  • Price: 10-1
• 2017 @ Nine Bridges: Justin Thomas (-9)
  • Price: 8-1

 

• 2021 Palmetto Championship: Garrick Higgo (-11)

 

Picks (Outrights):

• Matt Fitzpatrick (+2500) – Pointsbet
  • Risk 0.32 to win 8.00 Units

Unlike most of the field, Fitzpatrick has played here before finishing T10 at the 2021 Palmetto Championship. He made a name for himself last year winning the U.S. Open at the Country Club. Following that victory, he finished T6/T21/T5/T48/T15 to end the year. Since the finish of the 2020-21 PGA Tour season, Fitzpatrick has played several times on the European Tour. In those four Euro Tour events, he played moderately well. The highlight of those events was his 2nd place finish at the Italian Open.

He was 70th in Driving Distance, 48th in SG: Approach, 10th in SG: Off the Tee, and 6th in Sand Save % on the Tour last year. We saw him take a major step forward with his game last season. While he isn’t the longest off the tee his ball-striking and sand play should make up for it.

• Viktor Hovland (+2800) – DraftKings
  • Risk 0.29 to win 8.12 Units

Last year on Tour, he finished the season strong with T4/T20/T35/T15 placements. In his last three professional starts, he finished T5 at the BMW PGA Championship, T34 at the Italian Open, and T5 at the Zozo Championship. His last win on Tour was at the WWT Championship at Mayakoba and based on his recent strokes gained numbers he looks to be primed for a win soon.

Hovland is one of the best iron players on Tour with his short game being his Achilles heel. As of late, he has been trending upwards in that category gaining strokes in each of his last two professional events.

• Sam Burns (+2800) – DraftKings
  • Risk 0.29 to win 8.12 Units

Sam Burns struggled to stay the least at the Presidents Cup going (0-3-2). However, he rebounded nicely with a T30 finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He gained strokes off the tee and on approach but lost stokes putting. Last year, he finished 120th in SG: Putting but has gained strokes in that category in nearly each of his last eleven starts. If he is able to have a decent week with the flat stick, I like him to contend.

• Tyrrell Hatton (+4000) – FanDuel
  • Risk 0.20 to win 8.00 Units

Tyrell Hatton has been in great form as of late with back to back top-10 finishes on the European Tour. Last year he was horrendous in terms of SG: Off the Tee but in the one event that did have Shotlink data, he gained nearly a stroke in that category.

Last year, he finished T2 at the Palmetto Championship held here at Congaree. He gained strokes in every category besides putting. If we look at his recent putting performances, he’s gained strokes in that category in seven of his last eight professional starts. He’s shown he has the game to do well here so if he can stay hot with the flat stick, I think he’s on the front page of the leaderboard come Sunday.

Just Missed: Collin Morikawa (+3300)

Total Risk on Outrights: 1.10 Units

 

Picks (Top 10):

• Jon Rahm (+110) – DraftKings
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.10 Units

Jon Rahm has yet to make a start on the PGA Tour this year but just won his third Spanish Open. He joins Seve Ballesteros as the only player to win that event three times. Before that win, he finished T2 at the BMW PGA Championship.

Rahm has never played at Congaree so we’ll have to look at his finishes at course comps. He finished 2nd at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and T8 at the 2021 PGA Championship.

It was a down year for Rahm who entered the season as the Number 1 golfer in the world. His only victory was at the Mexico Open with an extremely weak field. However, he did finish the year strong with three top-20 placements. His distance off the tee should allow him a significant advance as we saw with Garrick Higgo. Based on his recent play, he’s been trending in all the right directions and looks to be more comfortable with the flat stick than ever. I wouldn’t be shocked if wins this event but I like him to finish inside the top-10 even more at plus money.

• Justin Thomas (+150) – DraftKings
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.50 Units

JT will be making his first start of the season this week at Congaree. He’s won this event twice before (’17,’19) but has never played at this course. If we look at his course comp history finished T5 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

In terms of key stats, Justin Thomas ranks highly in nearly every category. He was 14th in Driving Distance, 8th in SG: Approach, 16th in SG: Off the Tee, and 8th in Sand Save % on the Tour last year. In his career he’s also seemed to favor the bermudagrass putting surface which is another plus.

Total Risk on Top 10 Placements: 2.00 Units

 

Picks (Top 20):

•  Shane Lowry (+105) – Bet365
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.05 Units

Shane Lowry has played in the CJ Cup twice before finishing T28 in 2020 and T54 in 2021. He did not play in the 2021 Palmetto Championship so he does not have any course history here. If we look at course comps he finished 2nd at The Honda Classic and T4 at the 2021 PGA Championship. He’ll be making his first start of the season since finishing T12 at the BMW Championship.

Lowry won the BMW PGA Championship recently on the European Tour, so we know he’s in good form. When you combine his play off the tee with his elite ball-striking ability, Shane should be in contention come Sunday.

• Max Homa (+130) – DraftKings
  • Risk 1.00 to win 1.30 Units

Max Homa has been on an absolute heater as of late. Earlier this year, he successfully defended his title at the Fortinet Championship. Following that win, he hopped on a plane and helped the US defeat the International team in the President’s Cup. Most recently, he finished T20 at the Shriners Children’s Open. He has not played at Congaree before but does have some solid performances at course comps. Homa finished T15 in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua.

Homa ranks 51st in SG: Approach, 22nd in SG: Off the Tee, 10th in SG: Tee to Green, and  39th in Driving Distance. The lone worry for Max this week is his ability out of the sand. He doesn’t rank highly in that category which could get him in some trouble. However, his overall form and course comps still render him a good play this week. Remember, we don’t need him to win, just to finish inside the top-20.

Total Risk on Top 20 Placements: 2.00 Units

Total Risk on the CJ Cup in South Carolina: 5.10 Units 

 

Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting. Any feedback whether positive or negative is always encouraged.