Tag: CJ Cup 2021

CJ Cup: No moral victory for Rickie Fowler but ‘big step in the right direction’

While Fowler failed to end his victory drought, the T-3 at the CJ Cup marked his first top-10 finish since the PGA Championship in May.

Kanye West once sang that “moral victories are for minor league coaches.” Well, that may be true, but Rickie Fowler shouldn’t be hanging his head despite squandering a two-stroke 54-hole lead at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas.

“It felt good to finally hit the golf ball properly, at least most of the time, for 72 holes,” he said. “A lot of quality shots, a lot of good swings this week.”

Fowler came home in 1-under 71 on Sunday at the Summit Club to finished tied for third with Keith Mitchell, three strokes behind Rory McIlroy, who notched his 20th PGA Tour title, and two behind Collin Morikawa, who shot a scorching 62.

For Fowler, who hasn’t won since the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February 2019, it was a big step in the right direction. Fowler turns 33 on December 13 and has been open about his struggles, which have seen him fall from No. 8 in the world to No. 128 entering this week. He needed a sponsor invite to play in the CJ Cup and has his work cut out to qualify for World Golf Championships, the Players Championship and the Masters in the first quarter of the new year.

The good news is that one week after missing the cut in his season debut at the Shriners Children’s Open last week, Fowler was dealing with a full deck in Vegas. He hit all 18 greens in regulation on Saturday, just the third time in his PGA Tour career that he’s done so, en route to shooting 63.

Fowler ranked first for the week in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and SG: Tee to Green and tied for second in driving accuracy. What let him down, especially on Sunday, was his putter. Fowler ranked 51st for the week in SG: putting, and lost 2.675 strokes with his short stick in the final round. That ranked 73rd in the field, which included two three putts at Nos. 6 and 10. The first of them followed tugging his second shot at the par-5 sixth hole into a penalty area and led to a double bogey. It was a three-stroke swing when McIlroy made birdie as Fowler went from leading by two to trailing by one. He never regained the lead.

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“Struggled a bit on the greens just with feel and speed,” Fowler said.

While Fowler failed to end his victory drought – he’s converted just two of nine 54-hole leads for his career – the T-3 marked his first top-10 finish since the PGA Championship in May and best result since a T-4 at the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship.

Fowler and his wife, Allison, celebrated their first anniversary last Tuesday and their first child is due Nov. 30. Fowler is off to Japan for the Zozo Championship next week and to try to build on this momentum.

“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “This is a big step in the right direction with where we’ve been in the last two years.”

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How much money each PGA Tour player earned at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Just ask Rory McIlroy.

It pays to play well on the PGA Tour, folks. Especially in the no-cut events. Just ask this week’s winner, Rory McIlroy.

The 32-year-old won for the 20th time on Tour Sunday, shooting a 6-under 66 in the final round to win the 2021 CJ Cup held at The Summit Club in Las Vegas. McIlroy made an eagle on the par-4 14th to reach 25 under for the tournament, where he won by one over Summit member Collin Morikawa. McIlroy earned $1,755,000 while Morikawa will take home $1,053,000.

Check out how much money each player won this week at the CJ Cup in Las Vegas.

CJ Cup: Winner’s bag

Prize money

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Rory McIlroy -25 $1,755,000
2 Collin Morikawa -24 $1,053,000
T3 Keith Mitchell -22 $565,500
T3 Rickie Fowler -22 $565,500
T5 Talor Gooch -21 $342,469
T5 Aaron Wise -21 $342,469
T5 Sam Burns -21 $342,469
T5 Adam Scott -21 $342,469
T9 Sungjae Im -20 $243,750
T9 Gary Woodland -20 $243,750
T9 Harry Higgs -20 $243,750
T9 Cameron Smith -20 $243,750
T9 Robert Streb -20 $243,750
T14 Webb Simpson -19 $169,065
T14 Jhonattan Vegas -19 $169,065
T14 Chris Kirk -19 $169,065
T14 Abraham Ancer -19 $169,065
T18 Emiliano Grillo -18 $116,331
T18 Xander Schauffele -18 $116,331
T18 Justin Thomas -18 $116,331
T18 Jordan Spieth -18 $116,331
T18 Viktor Hovland -18 $116,331
T18 Ian Poulter -18 $116,331
T18 Tyrrell Hatton -18 $116,331
T25 K.H. Lee -17 $70,506
T25 Sergio Garcia -17 $70,506
T25 Mackenzie Hughes -17 $70,506
T25 Paul Casey -17 $70,506
T25 Carlos Ortiz -17 $70,506
T25 Russell Henley -17 $70,506
T25 Erik van Rooyen -17 $70,506
T32 Tom Hoge -16 $51,610
T32 Keegan Bradley -16 $51,610
T32 Seonghyeon Kim -16 $51,610
T32 Hudson Swafford -16 $51,610
T32 Sung Kang -16 $51,610
T32 Harold Varner III -16 $51,610
T38 Marc Leishman -15 $37,635
T38 Scottie Scheffler -15 $37,635
T38 Louis Oosthuizen -15 $37,635
T38 Matt Jones -15 $37,635
T38 Brooks Koepka -15 $37,635
T38 Tommy Fleetwood -15 $37,635
T38 Maverick McNealy -15 $37,635
T45 Tony Finau -14 $27,008
T45 Dustin Johnson -14 $27,008
T45 Lucas Glover -14 $27,008
T45 Joaquin Niemann -14 $27,008
T49 Joohyung Kim -13 $21,723
T49 Kevin Streelman -13 $21,723
T49 Sebastián Muñoz -13 $21,723
T49 Kevin Na -13 $21,723
T49 Stewart Cink -13 $21,723
T54 Shane Lowry -12 $20,085
T54 Jason Kokrak -12 $20,085
T54 Kevin Kisner -12 $20,085
T57 Justin Rose -11 $19,598
T57 Minkyu Kim -11 $19,598
T59 Hideki Matsuyama -10 $19,013
T59 Cameron Tringale -10 $19,013
T59 Alex Noren -10 $19,013
T59 Byeong Hun An -10 $19,013
63 Rasmus Højgaard -9 $18,525
T64 Jason Day -8 $18,038
T64 Patton Kizzire -8 $18,038
T64 Cam Davis -8 $18,038
T64 Sanghun Shin -8 $18,038
T68 Branden Grace -7 $17,258
T68 Patrick Reed -7 $17,258
T68 Jaekyeong Lee -7 $17,258
T68 Charley Hoffman -7 $17,258
T72 Yoseop Seo -6 $16,575
T72 Brian Harman -6 $16,575
T72 Max Homa -6 $16,575
75 Hanbyeol Kim -4 $16,185
76 Si Woo Kim E $15,990
77 Charl Schwartzel 7 $15,795

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Rory McIlroy goes low to claim CJ Cup for 20th win on PGA Tour

McIlroy won for the 20th time in Tour on Sunday at a 6-under 6 in the final round.

LAS VEGAS – Rory McIlroy said the CJ Cup at The Summit provided a nice, gentle introduction to his season in America’s Playground, the limited field of 78 players, docile layout and no cut very appealing.

Turned out it served up a satisfying ending, too.

On a sun-splashed, windless Sunday in the desert 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, McIlroy held off Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler to win the par-busting shootout. With a loud eagle on the 13th to grab the lead he never relinquished, the four-time major winner shot a closing 6-under-par 66 to finish at 25 under and one shot clear of onrushing Morikawa and three clear of a rejuvenated Fowler.

Three weeks after being moved to tears on the final day of Europe’s crushing defeat to the U.S. in the Ryder Cup, McIlroy earned lifetime membership to the PGA Tour with his 20th Tour title. He needs to play 15 years on the Tour before the lifetime membership becomes active; he started his 13th this week.

Morikawa, who was 11 shots back after 36 holes and trailed by seven entering the final round, went out in 7-under 29 and finished with an eagle to shoot 62. The two-time major winner and a Summit member was 8 under through 11 holes begore cooling off until the final hole.

Fowler, the overnight leader by two shots, had his best finish since tying for second in the 2019 Honda Classic, which came one month after he won the most recent of his five PGA Tour titles at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Fowler only had three top-10s the past two seasons and said he is now back to thinking about winning instead of thinking about the process of getting back to his former ways. He upped his lead to three with a birdie on the first and led by three before making a double from the desert on the par-5 6th and then three-putting the 10th to fall behind.

Earlier in the week, McIlroy, who had fallen to No. 14 in the world heading into the CJ Cup, said when he plays his best, he’s the best player in the game. Well, he looked in full flight quite a bit this week at The Summit and seems more than capable of becoming No. 1 in the world once again.

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McIlroy, a winner earlier this year at the Wells Fargo Championship, got into contention with consecutive bogey-free rounds, shooting 67 in the second round and 62 in the third. It was the first time he recorded consecutive bogey-free rounds since 2019.

With little wind all week and the course offering little defense except for the surrounding desert, the players held a birdie and eagle festival and combined to average 68.5 per round for the week.

There were 18 scores of 65 or better, including two 61s and five 62s.

Keith Mitchell, who shot 62-64 to gain a five-shot lead through 54 holes, closed with a 67 to finish at 22 under alongside Fowler.

Four players finished at 21 under, including Adam Scott (69) and Talor Gooch, who holed out from 94 yards for eagle on the last to polish off a 62.

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Rory McIlroy learned something important about himself during emotional Ryder Cup

“I think when I play my best, I’m the best player in the world.”

LAS VEGAS – Rory McIlroy couldn’t hold back the tears.

After defeating Xander Schauffele in the leadoff singles match in the Ryder Cup last month, McIlroy looked at the scoreboard and saw mostly red flags and knew instantly Team USA was routing his European mates.

It was McIlroy’s second loss in the biennial tussle in six editions and he had an emotional explosion during an interview just after beating Schauffele, 3 and 2. It was the lone point McIlroy earned against three losses during the week. And through genuine, raw, tearful moments of agony, he talked about his love for his team and the event and how much the loss hurt him.

It was a telling interview.

“I don’t necessarily get that emotional about golf, so I guess in that way it surprised me. But as you know, it’s a very emotionally charged week,” McIlroy said Wednesday after his pro-am round for the CJ Cup at The Summit. “There were so many different thoughts and emotions. There was relief that I won a point, there was frustration that I didn’t get more out of myself and disappointment I didn’t do more for the team, so there was so many sort of different emotions sort of going through me there and it was all just a little overwhelming in a way.

“But I think it was a good thing for me. I think I realized a couple of things about myself that I hadn’t, or maybe I had known but I was maybe trying to keep down and not let them out. I was surprised at how emotional I got, but then after a little bit of reflection over the last couple of weeks, I realized why I did get that way.”

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Part of what he learned about himself during the outburst was to be true to himself. He’s often talked about the game not defining him, not being his top priority, that you win some and you lose some and you move on. The approach tempers the blow of defeat but can be a crutch.

“I think sometimes I give myself too easy of a time and I try to play it off with, you know, golf doesn’t define me and I’ve got balance in my life and I’m happy away from the course,” McIlroy said. “And that’s obviously very true, but if I’m honest, sometimes I sort of maybe use that as a way to lessen the blow if I don’t play good golf.”

McIlroy hasn’t played his best golf of late. In March, he fell out of the top-10 in the world rankings for the first time since 2018 and he’s currently No. 14. He hasn’t added to his four major championships since winning the 2014 PGA. He won the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this year for his 19th PGA Tour title, but he’s earned just three top-10s in 11 starts since.

But the competitive fire still burns inside McIlroy. He wants win No. 20 on the PGA Tour and the lifetime membership that comes with it. He wants major No. 5 and more. He wants to be No. 1 again.

“I think when I play my best, I’m the best player in the world,” he said. “Haven’t played like that for a while, though, but I don’t feel like I need to go that far back to whenever the pandemic hit, whatever it was, 18 months ago, I was the No. 1 player in the world.

“Obviously the last 18 months haven’t been what I’ve wanted them to be, but if you keep it in perspective, I’m not that far away. (Ranked 14th) is not the position I want to be in, but at the same time there’s so many other guys that are trying to do the same thing as I’m doing and I realize the competition gets tougher each and every year and you just have to try to not just keep up with that, but try to become better.”

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McIlroy said he sort of turned the corner a little bit at the end of the season and is looking forward to playing competitive golf again after a two-week break.

“It’s a nice, gentle introduction to the season, 70‑whatever players, no cut,” McIlroy said of the CJ Cup. “I feel like you’re going out there to compete and play and try to win, but at the same time you can maybe try a couple things out in your golf game that you’re maybe working on.

“So it’s a nice way to start the season.”

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Fantasy golf power rankings and odds for the PGA Tour’s 2021 CJ Cup in Las Vegas

Feeling lucky this week? Check out the top-20 players to keep an eye on.

The CJ Cup brings a strong PGA Tour field to The Summit Club in Las Vegas. There are 78 golfers in attendance for the no-cut event. Below, we look at the fantasy golf power rankings for the 2021 CJ Cup, with PGA Tour picks and predictions.

The Summit Club is hosting the Tour for the first time after Jason Kokrak won this event at Shadow Creek last year. The course measures 7,431 yards and plays to a par of 72. Justin Thomas won two of the first three runnings of the CJ Cup when it was played at Nine Bridges in South Korea.

The CJ Cup features the strongest field of the early portion of the 2021-22 PGA Tour schedule. Four of the top-five golfers in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings are also in attendance.

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Tuesday at 12:50 p.m. ET.

More: CJ Cup odds, picks and predictions

Fantasy Golf Top 20

20. Harris English (+4000)

Started the 2021-22 season with a missed cut at the Shriners Children’s Open after recording a win and two other top-five finishes across his final seven events of last season. Finished fourth in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational against a highly comparable field.

19. Hideki Matsuyama (+4000)

The reigning Masters champ followed up a T-6 finish at the Fortinet Championship to start the season with a T-67 at the Shriners last week. He has struggled with the putter through two events but the rest of his game is in good shape.

18. Sergio Garcia (+6000)

Finished last season fourth among all golfers with 0.91 Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee per round. Will be well-suited for the long, par-72 venue.

17. Shane Lowry (+4000)

Tied for fourth against a strong field at the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to open October. Has missed just two cuts through 22 international events this year.

16. Tyrrell Hatton (+4000)

Tied for second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with opening and closing rounds of 64 and 67, respectively. He had previously missed the cut in four of six events but his strong iron play will help him navigate the unfamiliar course.

15. Scottie Scheffler (+3000)

Missed the cut last week due to awful iron and short-game play but still averaged 0.65 SG: Off-the-Tee per round over 36 holes. He averaged 1.17 SG: Tee-to-Green per round for the 2020-21 season.

14. Marc Leishman (+5000)

Started the season with a T-4 finish at the Fortinet Championship and tied for third last week with 1.88 SG: Putting per round. The hot flat stick will be a big advantage with few golfers in the field familiar with The Summit Club.

13. Jordan Spieth (+2000)

The occasionally erratic driver is still a concern at the new PGA Tour stop, but the former world No. 1 was one of the top players of the 2020-21 season with a win and eight other top-10 finishes against just one missed cut through 19 events in 2021.

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12. Sungjae Im (+3000)

Last week’s winner excelled with 2.62 SG: Tee-to-Green and 1.38 SG: Putting per round. He got hot with a 9-under par final round and he hasn’t missed a cut since early June.

11. Brooks Koepka (+3000)

Tied for 67th last week while losing 0.74 strokes per round on the greens. His 0.35 SG: Off-the-Tee was a strong suit that can carry over to the longer course. He cooled off at the end of last season but had a win and five other top-six finishes across a 10-event stretch in the heart of the campaign.

10. Tony Finau (+3000)

Will play his first event of the 2021-22 season after ending the last campaign strongly. He was 13th for the 2020-21 season with 1.43 SG: Tee-to-Green per round.

9. Rory McIlroy (+2000)

Playing his first event since Team Europe’s disappointing loss at the Ryder Cup. He begins the new season at No. 21 in the Golfweek rankings.

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8. Louis Oosthuizen (+2000)

Though not known as a long hitter, he excelled at lengthier venues for the PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship. Hasn’t missed a cut through 17 international events this year.

7. Sam Burns (+3000)

Followed his win at the Sanderson Farms Championship with a disappointing T-14 at the Shriners after a final-round 72. Ranked fifth in the field with 2.04 SG: Tee-to-Green per round last week.

6. Cameron Smith (+3000)

Didn’t win last season but was the runner-up at The Northern Trust and has five other top-10 finishes on the calendar year. Finished the season 10th among all golfers with 1.71 total strokes gained on the field per round.

5. Justin Thomas (+1300)

Likely to be over picked this week based on his two wins of this event in South Korea, but if he carries over his 0.99 SG: Approach from last season it should be a big help at a new course.

4. Viktor Hovland (+3000)

Tied for 44th last week with a woeful 2.23 strokes lost around the green per round. His 1.35 SG: Off-the-Tee and 1.32 SG: Approach ranked second and eighth in the field, respectively.

3. Xander Schauffele (+1300)

Won the Olympic Golf Competition the last time the world’s best all played at a brand new venue. Was the runner-up at last year’s CJ Cup at Shadow Creek.

2. Dustin Johnson (+1200)

Started to heat up at the end of last season with four top-10 finishes in his final six events. Played arguably the best golf of his career last fall.

1. Collin Morikawa (+1500)

The 24-year-old, two-time major winner is a member of The Summit Club. He has proven himself worthy of being the betting favorite in these fields and is a value with the fourth-best odds.

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.

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CJ Cup 2021 Thursday tee times, TV info

Everything you need to know for the first round of the CJ Cup.

After a week at TPC Summerlin the PGA Tour’s best are staying in Sin City for a second week.

Just a few miles down the road The Summit Club in Las Vegas plays host for the first time to the Tour’s 2021 CJ Cup. The course is a Tom Fazi design and will play 7,431 yards to a par of 72. The strong field is highlighted by Dustin Johnson, two-time winner Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Louis Oosthuizen, Xander Schauffele and defending champion Jason Kokrak.

From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the CJ Cup. All times Eastern.

CJ Cup: Odds | Preview

Thursday tee times

Tee time Players
10:20 a.m. Chris Kirk, Maverick McNealy, Minkyu Kim
10:32 a.m. Kevin Streelman, Alex Noren, Joohyung Kim
10:44 a.m. Aaron Wise, Jhonattan Vegas, Mackenzie Hughes
10:56 a.m. Harris English, Cameron Smith, Paul Casey
11:08 a.m. Robert Streb, Carlos Ortiz, Hudson Swafford
11:20 a.m. Marc Leishman, Stewart Cink, Shane Lowry
11:32 a.m. Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Sebastian Munoz
11:44 a.m. Max Homa, Abraham Ancer, Sung Kang
11:56 a.m. Tony Finau, K.H. Lee, Justin Rose
12:13 p.m. Sungjae Im, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama
12:25 p.m. Jason Kokrak, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas
12:37 p.m. Tommy Fleetwood, Scottie Scheffler, Yoseop Seo
12:49 p.m. Charl Schwartzel, Emiliano Grillo, Hanbyeol Kim
1:01 p.m. Cameron Tringale, Tom Hoge, Sanghun Shin
1:13 p.m. Keegan Bradley, Brian Harmon, Seonghyeon Kim
1:25 p.m. Keith Mitchell, Ian Poulter, Byeong Hun An
1:37 p.m. Joaquin Niemann, Jason Day, Charley Hoffman
1:49 p.m. Lucas Glover, Rickie Fowler, Patton Kizzire
2:06 p.m. Kevin Kisner, Cam Davis, Sergio Garcia
2:18 p.m. Erik van Rooyen, Matt Jones, Gary Woodland
2:30 p.m. Branden Grace, Kevin Na, Patrick Reed
2:42 p.m. Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Tyrrell Hatton
2:54 p.m. Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen
3:06 p.m. Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele
3:18 p.m. Talor Gooch, Harry Higgs, Rasmus Hojgaard
3:30 p.m. Russell Henley, Harold Varner III, Jaekyeong Lee

TV, streaming, radio information

You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. All times ET.

Thursday, Oct. 14

TV

Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.

STREAMING

PGA Tour Live: 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 15

TV

Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.

STREAMING

PGA Tour Live: 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 16

TV

NBC/Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 17

TV

NBC/Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.

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2021 CJ Cup odds, picks and PGA Tour predictions

Feeling lucky this week?

The PGA Tour will stay in Las Vegas for a second consecutive event after Sungjae Im claimed the title at the Shriners Children’s Open last week. The CJ Cup will be held at The Summit Club in Las Vegas, with the first round of this no-cut event getting underway Thursday. Below, we look at the 2021 CJ Cup odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions to win.

The limited field at the CJ Cup is strong this year, with many of the top 50 players in the world attending the event. Dustin Johnson is the favorite, but he’ll have to contend with the likes of Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland and Louis Oosthuizen, who is fifth in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele is also in the field in Vegas, as is 2020 CJ Cup champion Jason Kokrak.

The Summit Club will host this event for the first time. It’s a par 72 course that plays at 7,431 yards, a layout designed by Tom Fazio. Thomas has won the CJ Cup two of the last three years that it was held in South Korea, but it’ll be played on American soil again this week.

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 3:35 p.m. ET.

Favorite

Viktor Hovland (+3000)

Collin Morikawa (+1500) would be a good choice, too, considering he’s a member of The Summit Club, but I like the way Hovland is playing coming into this week and he’s a good value at +3000. He’s first in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and fourth in SG: Approach early in the 2021-22 season, once again proving to be one of the best ball-strikers in the world.

He does need to improve around the greens. He began to get better in that area last season, but he’s going to hit a ton of fairways and get a lot of looks at birdies. If the putter gets hot this week, he’ll have a chance to contend on Sunday. He finished T-44 at TPC Summerlin last week and will try to build on that performance.

Contender

Marc Leishman (+5000)

No one has started as hot as Leishman this season, going T-4 at the Fortinet Championship and T-3 at the Shriners last week. He’s putting better than just about anyone, ranking second in SG: Putting through two events.

There will be birdies to be found out there this week and Leishman is plenty long enough to get some short irons in his hands where he can be aggressive in his approaches. He’s 19th in SG: Approach after two weeks. At +5000, he’s a worthwhile bet as he tries to ride this hot streak.

Long shot

Tom Hoge (+20000)

Hoge bounced back from a missed cut at the Sanderson Farms Championship two weeks ago by finishing T-14 last week with three sub-70 rounds. He finished T-38 in his first appearance in this event last year. He’s not terribly long or accurate off the tee, but he’s gaining 1.00 strokes per round on approach to the green, which is 12th on Tour this season.

After missing a ton of cuts from April to August last season, he finished strong with a T-4 at The Northern Trust and T-49 at the BMW Championship in late August.

If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Please gamble responsibly.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

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