The CJ Cup Introduced the 'Bibigo' Brand and 'K-Food' to Golf Fans Worldwide

A family eating 'Bibigo Dumpling Lunchbox' at the Bibigo concession set up at The CJ Cup held at the Summit Club in Las Vegas, USA, from October 14.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-sun]The PGA Tour regular tournament THE CJ Cup@SUMMIT, held over four days from the 14th at the Summit Club in Las Vegas, USA, concluded with praise from players, tournament officials, and galleries, with Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) winning the championship.

According to CJ CheilJedang on the 18th, The CJ Cup has been evaluated as reaching the highest level in terms of participating players and tournament preparation and operation in its fifth edition. Additionally, Bibigo, the official sponsoring brand, focused on global marketing leveraging The CJ Cup as a stepping stone, achieving sales growth of more than three times compared to the first tournament held in 2017, establishing itself as a ‘global Korean food brand’ representing K-food.

During the broadcast of the four rounds, world-class players such as Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, and Jason Kokrak appeared on video to express their gratitude to The CJ Cup and CJ, which operates the tournament. Also, during the first round broadcast, Korean golf rising star Kim Joo-hyung introduced CJ’s sports marketing history, which plays the role of ‘Dream keeper’ in various sports fields. The broadcast was transmitted to 1 billion households in 226 countries worldwide.

The ‘Bibigo Kitchen’ prepared for players and tournament officials featured chefs who came on-site to showcase various menus using Bibigo products. Especially, menus such as ‘Bibigo Wang Gyoja’ (king dumplings), bibimbap using the recently launched gochujang sauce ‘GOTCHU’ in the U.S. market, and gochujang pork ribs were popular. Moreover, Adam Scott (UK) mentioned ‘dumplings’ at a press conference after the first round, saying he would go eat dumplings after the game, and at the Bibigo Kitchen, he requested ‘ssamjang’ to dip with the dumplings, showing how familiar players and officials have become with Korean food as the tournament reached its fifth edition.

The players also expressed their anticipation for the next tournament to be held in Korea. Justin Thomas (USA), who has won two titles at The CJ Cup, said at a press conference, “It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t hold the tournament in Korea due to the COVID-19 situation. I built great friendships and memories in Jeju Island, and tournaments held in Korea are special. I want to compete in Korea again.”

Meanwhile, this tournament attracted attention by using the identity colors symbolizing the LA Lakers on the finishing hole sign at the 18th hole. The PGA Tour explained the meaning of the hole sign, saying, “It was planned to celebrate the historic global partnership between Korea’s top food brand Bibigo and the world-renowned sports icon LA Lakers.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.