This week the PGA Tour is making a stop at Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina for the 2022 edition of The CJ Cup. With Congaree Golf Club playing at just under 7,800 yards of distance for this event, this is certainly a big boy golf course. However, in the past we have often seen this course play under softer conditions in the spring time. By playing an event at this site in the fall we can expect to see a more firm and fast set up than before at Congaree. This makes the distance a little less of a separating factor and usually sees some of the cream of the crop rise to the top of the field. With that being said let us preview The CJ Cup.
This event has a really strong field. The ZOZO was a nice warm up and had the strongest field of the fall up to that point. The field this week really kicks it up a level than last week. We will see the likes of Rahm, Rory, JT, Jordan Spieth, Sungjae, Sam Burns, Max Homa, Hovland, Hideki, Tom Kim, Morikawa, Scheffler and more tee it up this week. Per usual we will hit on some of the top ranked guys in the field we think will preform well, but we will also give some shine to some lower ranked guys even in this unusually strong fall field.
Let’s begin with Jordan Spieth. The last time that we saw him he was hoisting his child Lion King style in front of a raucous Presidents Cup crowd in the midst of cruising to an undefeated performance at Quail Hallow. While it has been a while since he played competitive tour rounds, there is good reason to believe that his good form and confidence will carry over. While it has been an up and down ride with Spieth over the last few years, he is still a world class player. While we watched him work through the discomfort of swing changes and a pre swing routine that looked as painful for him as it did for us, his refreshed process and swing are certainly firing on all cylinders. He is in the top 20% of the field as far as course fit on Data golf this week. While there is no real strokes gained data for him recently, he seems refreshed, confident, and ready to put together a great season on tour. I see a top 5 finish for Spieth this week with a real chance to win the tournament.
Next up we are going to look at Emiliano Grillo. Having watched the first four events of this 2022-23 PGA season Grillo has been jumping off the screen at me. He already has two top 5 finishes, a T5 at Sanderson and a solo 4th at ZOZO. He has made the cut in every event this year while posting positive strokes gained in three out of the four of them. He is also really passing the eye test this year. He looks invigorated, more sure of his place on the tour. While he has been a pro now for almost a decade, he seems like he has his sights set from making cuts and collecting checks, to asserting himself as a world class golfer. He has displayed some unbelievably shot variety and execution so far this season, and with the type of test that is coming this week at Congaree, I believe he is more than up to the challenge. Look for Grillo to finish in the Top 10 even amongst the big names that are in the field this week.
Lastly, Let us look at Cam Davis. Now can you guess what the most similar course to Congaree is according to Data Golf’s course fit tool? That is right it is Quail Hollow Club. While he only recorded a 2-3 record over the course of the President’s Cup, he played well enough to change what people think of his baseline ability as a golfer. While he has played in three fall PGA events since then with relatively underwhelming results, T29, T37, MC respectively, I think he turns it around this week. He is truly a long ball hitter. If he is hitting it accurately enough, he will have a real advantage of the field this week, being able to hit short irons in places most people are hitting mid irons. With the firm conditions we are expecting at Congaree for the event, this could be a separating factor for Cam Davis this week. His strokes gained recently a volatile, but he is a good course fit and I think he has too much talent to be this inconsistent. Look for a big week from the big Australian as he finishes inside the top 10 this week at The CJ Cup.
