A total of 156 top PGA Tour players expected to compete, including ‘defending champion’ Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, while bibigo, will showcase authentic Korean flavors
A regular PGA Tour event, the THE CJ CUP Bryon Nelson with a total purse 9.5 million USD and a winner’s share of 1.71 million USD will be held at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, for four days, starting May 2.
‘THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson’, began as a prestigious regional championship in the Dallas area, originating in 1944, and began using the name Byron Nelson from 1968. As a title sponsor, the CJ Group will host the tournament for 10 seasons until 2033, together with the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, a Dallas-based non-profit organization.
156 PGA Tour Players Vie for Coveted Winner’s Trophy in Friendly Competition
A full field of 156 players representing the PGA Tour will take part in the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, with the winner taking home not only the champion’s trophy but also earning 500 FedEx Cup points and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
First and foremost, defending champion Jason Day will be defending his title. With 13 career wins, the veteran stalwart has competed in every THE CJ CUP event and won the Byron Nelson title in 2010. He now sets his sights on claiming his back-to-back victory, capitalizing on his precise short game. Only three players have successfully defended the title since 1968— Jack Nicklaus(1970-71), Tom Waston(1978-80) and Lee Kyoung-hoon(2021-22) – with a victory, Jason Day would not only defend his title but also claim his third trophy at the tournament.
Jordan Spieth, who finished runner-up to Lee Kyoung-hoon in 2022, will also fight for the title. Remarkably, at the young age of 16, Spieth made his PGA Tour debut when he joined the field at Byron Nelson, stunning the world with a tied 16th place finish. All eyes are on whether Spieth, with his strong connection to the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, will be able to hoist the trophy engraved in Korean.
CJ sponsored players Lee Kyoung-hoon, Im Sung-jae, An Byeong-hun and Kim Si-woo will also contend for the championship. The team CJ and Korean players have fond memories of the CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Lee Kyoung-hoon secured his first PGA Tour title at the THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson in 2021 and successfully defended his title the following year. Kang Sung-hoon (2019) and Bae Sang-moon(2013) have also claimed the title in the past.
Golf fans are also excited to meet the newest addition to Team CJ, Kris Kim. Born in 2007, Kris, at just 16 years old, had already made a name for himself early on when he won the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship last year. His mature demeanor, mindset, and poise, which surpass those of his peers, are considered to be his biggest strengths. The CJ Group is looking forward to Kris taking his game to the next level, building on the experience gained from participating in a prestigious event like the THE CJ CUP.
THE CJ CUP will also feature a pair of twins with strong ties to the Byron Nelson event. Brothers Pierceson and Parker Coody were born in 2000. Their grandfather, Charles Coody, won three times on the PGA Tour, including the Masters Championship in 1971, the first of which was the Dallas Open Invitational before it was renamed the Byron Nelson. Both players were also born in Plano where is less than 10 minutes away from TPC Craig Ranch.
TPC Craig Ranch, precision shots determine the winner!
TPC Craig Ranch, home of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, play to7,414-yards with a par 71. Designed by former PGA Tour player and architect Tom Weiskopf, the course consists of 83 bunkers and lakes scattered across 13 holes. The gusty winds and unpredictable Texas weather will be the key factors in determining victory, requiring players to exercise precision and caution.
The course’s signature 17th hole is renowned for its vibrant spectator culture, featuring expansive decks that offer an energizing view of the players in action. At a just 147-yards par 3, this hole is renowned for players taking bold risks in the game’s closing moments to secure their victory.
Champion’s trophy and Bridge Kids Program, uphold THE CJ CUP tradition
The legacy of THE CJ CUP, originally the sole regular PGA Tour event in South Korea, carries forward this year as the tournament evolves into a new chapter with Bryon Nelson.
THE CJ CUP trophy, which draws its inspiration from Hangeul (Korea’s writing system and alphabet) and ‘Jikjisimcheyojeol’ (the world’s oldest known book printed with movable metal type) will once again be featured. Unlike previous editions where the names of all the players in the field were engraved in Korean, this year’s tournament will elevate its significance by inscribing the names of the past Byron Nelson champions. The trophy will proudly bear the names of not only the defending champion Jason Day but also PGA tour legends like Tiger Woods, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Ernie Els as well as Korean champions Lee Kyoung-hoon, Bae Sang-moon, and Kang Sung-hoon all engraved in Korean.
The Bridge Kids program, which was first launched in 2017, will continue on at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. A distinctive CSR program of THE CJ CUP, it provides promising junior golfers with an unforgettable experience to interact with PGA Tour players and receive valuable one-point lessons. 10 talented young golfers who applied and were selected will spend quality time with Ben An and Ryan Palmer at the venue on Wednesday, May 1.
Furthermore, the CJ Group will provide these young players the chance to witness every round of ‘THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson’ and receive souvenirs, including tournament t-shirts and caps, in support of the promising future of the aspiring young golfers.
bibigo, ‘Ambassador of Korean Cuisine’, at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson
The CJ Group has been pioneering the globalization of Korean cuisine through golf since the inaugural event in 2017, receiving rave reviews from PGA Tour players and golf enthusiasts worldwide. At this year’s revamped THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, bibigo will carry out various promotional activities, embodying its status as a global Korean food brand both in name and substance.
Through the Players’ Dining, bibigo has been delighting the players with a diverse array of K-food, including bulgogi, mandu, fried rice, and chicken gangjeong, prompting praise for ‘THE CJ CUP’s unparallel dining experience’. Notably, bibigo has garnered additional publicity through word-of-mouth endorsements from prominent PGA Tour players participating in THE CJ CUP.
This year, in particular, the CJ Group organized a new menu development event with around 1,100 golf fans from Korea, centered around the theme of pairing, resulting in the creation of the new mandu gangjeong dish. Anticipated to become a new favorite, mandu gangjeong will debut for the first time, exclusively for players competing in THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. Additionally, CJ Group will provide fans and officials visiting the tournament venue with the opportunity to enjoy K-food through the bibigo concession.
