From pgatour.com
The PGA Tour has announced some top stars’ commitments to October’s CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek and Zozo Championship @ Sherwood.
Joining defending champion, Justin Thomas at Shadow Creek will be 2020 FedEx Cup champion Dustin Johnson, world no. 2 Jon Rahm, US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and 18-time PGA Tour winner, Rory McIlroy.
Also in are Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth who have accepted sponsor exemptions for the October 15 to 18 tournament in Las Vegas.
Johnson, Rahm and McIlroy will also headline the field at the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood from October 22 to 25.
Along with them are Phil Mickelson, Fleetwood, Fowler, Rose and Spieth who have accepted sponsor exemptions to the event.
Tiger on board
Other notable players committed to the event at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California are defending champion and 82-time PGA Tour winner, Tiger Woods and Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama.
“Adding this elite group of players alongside Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama lends a strong hand in showcasing a powerful line-up,” said Ty Votaw, executive vice-president, International, PGA Tour..
“We are thrilled to offer world-class competition this October to our fans in Korea, Japan, the United States and across the globe.
“I would like to express our appreciation again to our title sponsors, CJ Group and ZOZO Inc., for their commitment in moving their tournaments from Korea and Japan respectively to the US for this year only.
“This ensures a strong and robust schedule for the month of October that also features the Sanderson Farms Championship, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and Bermuda Championship.”
Star parade
Dustin Johnson: Johnson, a 23-time PGA Tour winner, produced an amazing run of form over a five-week stretch to claim his first FedEx Cup title earlier this month.
The big-hitting American won the Northern Trust and Tour Championship and finished runner-up at the PGA Championship and BMW Championship to claim the FedEx Cup.
He will mark his tournament debut at both the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek and Zozo Championship @ Sherwood.
Johnson said: “I’m looking forward to playing what should be two great weeks of golf. My game has been really good recently, so I am excited to play both tournaments.”
Rory McIlroy: McIlroy enjoyed one victory and seven top-10s to finish tied eighth in the FedEx Cup in the 2019-20 season.
As the defending FedExCup champion in 2019-20, he claimed an 18th career victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China last November where he defeated Xander Schauffele in a playoff.
It will be his first appearance in CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek. He finished equal third at the inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan last year.
“I’m looking forward to playing in CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek,” McIlroy said.
“I’ve watched how the tournament has become a success over the past few years and it’ll be exciting to have the opportunity to compete in it for the first time.
“I had a great time at the inaugural Zozo Championship and will be hoping to build on last year’s success when we play at Sherwood. I’ll miss playing in Japan this year but hopefully, we’ll get to return soon.”
Jon Rahm: Rahm won twice at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide in June and the BMW Championship in August to finish fourth on the final 2019-20 FedEx Cup standings.
The five-time PGA Tour winner also enjoyed four other top-10s, which saw him reach world no. 1 for the first time in June.
This will be his first appearance in CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek.
Bryson DeChambeau: Since June, DeChambeau has powered his way to victories at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July and the US Open, his first major victory.
He also notched four other top-10s as he continues to reap the rewards of adding muscle and distance to his unique approach to golf. DeChambeau will be making his debut at CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek.
Rickie Fowler: Fowler is a five-time PGA Tour winner, highlighted by a popular victory in the Platers Championship in 2015.
He has also won three times internationally, including his first professional win at the Kolon Korea Open in 2011 where he won by six shots over Rory McIlroy.
In 14 starts during the 2019-20 season, Fowler secured two top-10 finishes and was a member of the winning US team at the 2019 Presidents Cup hosted at Royal Melbourne.
Phil Mickelson: Mickelson, a 44-time PGA Tour winner, will make his tournament debut stateside at the Zozo Championship.
The World Golf Hall of Fame member returns to Sherwood having competed in the Hero World Challenge twice, where his best performance was a 10th-place finish in 2002.
Mickelson is coming off the 2019-20 season having earned two top-10 finishes and ultimately went on to rank 75th in the final FedEx Cup standings.
Ian Poulter: A winner of three PGA Tour titles, Poulter recorded one top-10 and five top-25s last season, which included a T16 finish at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges.
The Englishman also has 12 European Tour wins and is renowned for his Ryder Cup heroics where he has been on five winning European Teams since making his debut in 2004.
Justin Rose: Rose had a standout triumph in 2018 that led to him lifting the FedEx Cup.
He also holds 10 PGA Tour career wins, 12 international titles, five appearances for Europe in the Ryder Cup and was the winner of the Olympic Games gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Jordan Spieth: Spieth finished T8 in his debut at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges last season, which was one of three top-10 finishes during the 2019-20 season.
A winner of 11 PGA Tour titles, he has three major victories, at the Masters and US Open in 2015, and The Open Championship in 2017.
Also read: Johnson caps stellar run with Tour C’ship, $15m payout
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