FedEx Cup Champion McIlroy vs Runner-up Im Sungjae "Rematch at The CJ Cup in October"

CJ Group Confirms Eligibility for 78 Tournament Players
Im Sung-jae Among Top 60 FedEx Cup, McIlroy as Defending Champion
5 Korean Tour Players, Top 3 Korean World Rankings, 10 CJ Group Invitees Participate

Rory McIlroy is seen smiling while holding the trophy right after winning last year's The CJ Cup. Photo by CJ

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] It is a rematch between FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and runner-up Im Sung-jae (24).

They will face off at The CJ Cup, a PGA Tour 2022/2023 season event with a total prize money of $10.5 million, held over four days starting October 20 at Congaree Golf Club in Gillisonville, South Carolina, USA. CJ Group, the tournament organizer, announced the qualification criteria for the 78 players who will participate on the 30th. These include the top 60 players in the 2021/2022 FedEx Cup rankings, 5 players from the Korean Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) Korean Tour, the top 3 Korean players in the world rankings, and 10 CJ Group invitees.

Im Sung-jae and McIlroy had a fierce battle of pride at the Tour Championship, the final event of last season. McIlroy secured a come-from-behind victory to become the FedEx Cup champion for a record third time. Im Sung-jae, with a remarkable surge, achieved the best performance by an Asian player by finishing as runner-up. The 'big match' between the two players is set to take place again after two months.

Im Sung-jae qualifies through his high FedEx Cup ranking, while defending champion McIlroy is aiming for a second consecutive win. The CJ Cup is the fifth event of the 2022/2023 season. Besides Im Sung-jae, Korea has secured participation spots through players like Kim Joo-hyung (20), Lee Kyoung-hoon (31), and Kim Si-woo (27). Among the five Korean Tour spots, Shin Sang-hoon (24), the winner of the June KPGA Championship, claimed one. The remaining four spots will go to the Genesis Championship winner and the top three players in points standings by the end of the Genesis Championship.

Eligibility for The CJ Cup. Photo by CJ

The CJ Cup, established in 2017, is Korea's first official PGA Tour event. It was held in Jeju Island until 2019, and from 2020, due to COVID-19 and other factors, the venue was moved to the United States. Justin Thomas won in 2017 and 2019, and Brooks Koepka (both from the USA) won in 2018. Last year, McIlroy (Northern Ireland) shot 6-under par on the final day to complete a one-stroke come-from-behind victory.

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