61°F
weather icon Mostly Clear
Las Vegas, NV
Golf

Golf’s top 5 players commit to play in CJ Cup in Las Vegas

Dustin Johnson, of the United States, plays his shot from the fourth tee during the third round ...
Dustin Johnson, of the United States, plays his shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Dustin Johnson, of the United States, checks his notes on the fifth green during the third roun ...
Dustin Johnson, of the United States, checks his notes on the fifth green during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Dustin Johnson, of the United States, watches his ball off the fourth tee during the third roun ...
Dustin Johnson, of the United States, watches his ball off the fourth tee during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Justin Thomas, of the United States, during the second round of the US Open Golf Championship, ...
Justin Thomas, of the United States, during the second round of the US Open Golf Championship, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his shot from the second tee during the final round ...
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, watches his shot from the second tee during the final round of the US Open Golf Championship, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Jon Rahm, of Spain, plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the US Open Gol ...
Jon Rahm, of Spain, plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Bryson DeChambeau, of the United States, plays his shot from the sixth tee during the third rou ...
Bryson DeChambeau, of the United States, plays his shot from the sixth tee during the third round of the US Open Golf Championship, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
More Stories
Maverick McNealy studies the 18th green during the final final round of the RSM Classic golf to ...
Las Vegas resident birdies the last hole to claim 1st PGA Tour win
Dustin Johnson of team Aces GC watches his drive off the tee during the first round of LIV Golf ...
LIV Golf appears likely to skip Las Vegas in 2025 season
Kevin Marsh is inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame in October 2024. (SNGA)
Failed pro career helps Marsh reach Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame
Ally Ewing hits out of the bunker at the 17th hole during the championship round of the Bank of ...
Former LPGA Match Play champion plans to retire after season
By Greg Robertson Special to the Review-Journal
September 29, 2020 - 1:46 pm
 

The top five players in the Official World Golf Rankings will be in Las Vegas in October after committing to play the CJ Cup.

Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are among 10 players who have signed on for the Oct. 15 to 18 event at Shadow Creek Golf Club.

Also, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood and Ian Poulter have accepted sponsor exemptions for the limited field event.

The tournament is normally played in South Korea, but because of the coronavirus pandemic, it has moved to Las Vegas for this year. It comes one week after the regular PGA Tour stop, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, takes place at TPC Summerlin.

“We are thrilled to offer world-class competition this October to our fans,” said Ty Votaw, executive vice president for international for the PGA Tour.

Thomas has won the CJ Cup two of the past three years. He joins Johnson, McIlroy and Rahm in playing professionally in Las Vegas for the first time.

“I was excited to hear that the CJ Cup will be played at Shadow Creek, where I have played some good golf in the past with family and friends,” said Johnson, the top-ranked player in the world and reigning player of the year. “It’s a really good golf course and should be a great venue for the tournament.”

McIlroy also is looking forward to his time in Las Vegas.

“I’ve watched how the tournament has become a success over the past few years, and it’ll be an exciting opportunity to compete in it for the first time,” he said.

Unfortunately for local golf fans, they won’t be part of the action. PGA Tour spokesman Michael Baliker confirmed Tuesday that there will be no spectators at the tournament.

That is also the case for the Shriners tournament.

Of the 10 players announced for the CJ Cup, DeChambeau and Fowler also have committed to the Shriners. Tournament executive director Patrick Lindsey is hoping a couple of them might be late additions to the field, which has landed 95 of the top 125 players on the FedEx Cup list.

Players have until the Friday before an event to commit to a PGA Tour event.

The CJ Cup will have a 78-player field and include the highest-ranked player of Korean nationality from the Asian Tour, up to five players designated by the Korean PGA and the top three available players of Korean nationality from the Official World Golf Ranking. The remainder of the field will be made up of the leading players from the 2019-2020 FedEx Cup points list and sponsor exemptions.

Atencio wins Senior Amateur

Christy Atencio held on down the stretch to win the Nevada State Women’s Senior Amateur last week at Silver Oak Golf Course in Carson City.

Atencio shot rounds of 72-78 to finish at 6-over 150, one shot better than Lynn Greer.

“It’s just a good thing I had a good lead heading into (the final round),” said Atencio, a decorated amateur player from Reno.

Other winners included Laarni Gaurano (Championship Net), Regina Quintero (50-59 Gross), Kathy Streeter (50-59 Net), Lynn Greer (60-69 Gross), Robin Rakusin (60-69 Net), Janice Campbell (70-plus Gross) and Stevie Walter (70-plus Net).

Edmiston wins match play

Jason Edmiston, head professional at Las Vegas Country Club, won the PGA Match Play Championship for the 2020 Southern Nevada Chapter.

Edmiston topped Darren Stanek 2 and 1 in the championship match Monday at Coyote Springs Golf Club. Stanek is the general manager at Wolf Creek Golf Club in Mesquite.

Brad Church (Wynn GC) defeated Tom Fischer (Paiute GC) 2 and 1 in the third-place match.

Pod play and championship bracket matches had taken place throughout the summer.

Greg Robertson is a freelance reporter who covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at robertsongt@gmail.com.

THE LATEST
Dustin Johnson of team Aces GC watches his drive off the tee during the first round of LIV Golf ...
LIV Golf appears likely to skip Las Vegas in 2025 season
By Greg Robertson / RJ

LIV Golf has announced 10 of its 14 events for 2025 so far and Las Vegas is not on the list. That makes a return for the breakaway circuit unlikely.

 
Shriners decision shows PGA Tour has a big fall problem
By Greg Robertson / RJ

Shriners Children’s Hospital’s decision to leave as the sponsor of the PGA Tour’s Las Vegas event exposes what’s become a big problem in golf.