Preview
Course Info
Designer: Tom Fazio
Used Since: 2021 (Palmetto Championship)
Fairways: Bermuda grass
Greens: Bermuda grass
Water Hazards: In-play on 10 holes.
Par 5's: 2nd, 4th and 12th
Premium on: Tee to Green
Significant Info
This course was used to host the 2021 Palmetto Championship. It has never been used to host a CJ Cup.
Fazio designed this course to be like the Sandbelt courses in Australia. This means that there is no rough but plenty of sand!
Continue to exercise caution in relation to Covid-19 related withdrawals, Jon Rahm was case in point last week.
Weather
Dry all four days but high winds on Saturday should cause problems for the players.
Thursday
Partly cloudy, max winds 5mph.
Friday
Sunny, max winds 7mph.
Saturday
Mostly Sunny/Windy. max winds of 22mph.
Sunday
Partly cloudy, max winds 12mph.
Stats
Five of the top 10 on the Palmetto Championship leaderboard were inside the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green for the week. Despite Congaree’s length, only two players in the top 10 on the final leaderboard were inside the top 10 in driving distance for the week.
We have listed the stats for last year's top 7 below.
SG: Off The Tee
27-13-4-49-1-6-52 .
SG: Approach
57-11-21-4-18-2-31 so not the key stat this week.
SG: Around The Green
31-40-10-4-52-15-7.
SG: Tee to green
43-8-2-4-3-1-24
SG: Putting
1-15-55-35-36-64-3
Notable Quotes
Some quotes from the 2021 Palmetto Championship to give us an insight into the course:
"It's a lot different this week. We have got a lot of rain in the area recently, as everybody in the area noticed, and this place is usually super firm, super fast, greens are very, very quick, and it's kind of what makes the place the way it is. So it's very different right now, soft conditions, greens are spinning a lot more, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if come Thursday it's firm and fast, but right now it's pretty soft, so we're getting ready for that." Bryson Nimmer
"Visually, I think it's great. Obviously, from chatting to a few guys at the start of this week, I know that they'd like the course to be a little bit firmer than it is. Unfortunately, you can't control the weather, and I think they've had quite a bit of rain the last week or so. Yeah, the course is pretty soft. I imagine scoring will be pretty good, and from my point of view, hoping that I can go out and play well, but I like what I see so far." Tyrrell Hatton
"I think it's just, it's very different in the sense that it's definitely a little bit more open off the tee. I think Bluffton, Hilton Head are very tree lined, definitely some different sight lines, you're always aiming at the big pine trees at the end of the fairways or a bunker or something like that. But out here it's kind of like a rolling design, everything's running off, you really have to be very particular with what you're aiming at, kind of visualizing where the ball's going to land, where it's going to roll. It's just, it's a whole different beast and I'm excited to get to play it this week." Bryson Nimmer
“I played nine holes for the first time (Tuesday) and the fairways are generally wider compared to other golf courses. There is not much rough around the greens and I feel comfortable out here. I didn’t find any difficulties on the nine which I played and I think my game will do well here.” Sungjae Im
"I'm really excited about Congaree. I'm a professional ambassador there, so one of my favorite places to go practice, and I think guys are going to love it down there, as well." Kevin Kisner (quote from 2021 RBC Heritage)
"I think guys are going to be in for rude awakening at Congaree in June, how hot and the sand gnats that will be on full-on attack down there. Hopefully we can steer clear of the afternoon thunderstorm that is regularly predictable that time of year and have some really great conditions for golf and hopefully steer away from 110-degree heat indexes." Kevin Kisner (quote from 2021 RBC Heritage)
"I don't know exactly if I'm going to play Congaree, but I've talked to a few players this week, and they all said it's really great, really tough, which I always like." Webb Simpson (quote from 2021 RBC Heritage)
In-play
The CJ Cup In-Play Blog
23rd October 2022, 11:20am (UK time)
Player | Total |
McIlroy |
-13 |
Kitayama |
-12 |
Rahm |
-12 |
K H Lee |
-12 |
Moore |
-10 |
Wise |
-10 |
Round 3 Summary
Rory McIlroy has taken over at the top at the CJ Cup and will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the CJ Cup.
Round 4 Weather
Sunny with a max wind of 6mph.
How do we expect the market favourites to perform?
Rory McIlroy is into 13/10 to take the title. He ranks 2nd only to Jon Rahm this week in SG: Tee to Green and has a fantastic chance of winning for a 3rd time this calendar year. Much will depend on whether we see the Rory McIlroy who triumphed at the Tour Championship and Canadian Open. Conversely, do we see the McIlroy who failed to convert at The Open Championship?
Jon Rahm is 2nd in the betting at 13/5. Rahm described the 3rd round as a "battle" but did state that he was "proud of" the way he kept his score and kept himself in the tournament. Assuming he can find the level of play he had over the opening two days, he'll go close. A winner only several weeks ago in Spain, he has recent winning experience.
KH Lee (17/2) and Kurt Kitayama (9/1) are the only other golfers priced up under 20/1. Of the two, Lee would be preferred given his winning experience on Tour and the fact he's played slightly better tee to green than Kitayama through the opening three rounds.
Where is the value?
Garrick Higgo, winner of the 2021 Palmetto Championship, trailed by six shots going into the final round. That's the only PGA Tour event to have been played at Congaree so far and whilst it's an indication that winners can come from off the pace, it's worth noting that Higgo was in solo 3rd position and the leader was Chesson Hadley. With all due respect to Hadley, he isn't in the same league as Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm.
Round 4 Bet
.
- 1.5pts Each Way Tom Kim 28/1 @ William Hill (1/4 1-4)
Kim is four shots back of McIlroy but has proved himself as a clinical closer in recent weeks. He trailed Sungjae Im by two before shooting a nine under par round to win the the Wyndham Championship by five. He then proved he can also front run, winning the Shriners by three shots, albeit with a little bit of help from Patrick Cantlay. With four places available at Hills, there is enough each way value present to take our chances on Rory and Rahm having a bad day at the office. Note - 33's is available if you want fewer places and bigger odds.
22nd October 2022, 9:40am (UK time)
Player | Total |
Rahm |
-11 |
Kitayama |
-11 |
Wise |
-10 |
Davis |
-10 |
McIlroy |
-9 |
Eight Players Tied |
-7 |
Round 2 Summary
Jon Rahm stole the show with a breath taking 62 to tie the lead with Kurt Kitayama. There is now a bit of separation on the leader board and pre-event favourite Rory McIlroy only two back.
Round 3 Weather
The later starters are going to face some tough conditions with the wind picking up to 19mph around 2pm and 24mph around 4pm.
How do we expect the market favourites to perform?
The market fully expects a Rahm or McIlroy win with odds of 19/10 and 15/4 being dangled for the two. Had the forecast been for another calm day, we would be advising caution but this wind should make life difficult for the leaders and this is far from a two horse race yet.
Out of the two, Rahm would be preferred, he is clearly still riding his momentum from the Spanish Open victory and ranks 1st tee to green this week. McIlroy will likely be avialble at a better price tomorrow morning due to his struggles in the wind.
Where is the value?
There is only one price we like the look of today, in the outright market.
Round 3 Bets
- 1.25pts Each Way Tyrrell Hatton 33/1 @ William Hill (1/4 1-4)
Hatton was our 1st reserve on our pre-event bets but we weren't willing to risk the fatigue factor coming over from Japan last week. He should be over his jet lag now and looks in good shape for a weekend attack. Hatton played well here in 2021 when the wind blew over the weekend, shooting a 67 and 68 to finish 2nd. He should handle the stronger wind better than most today and the tougher the conditions will suit him. Currently ranks 6th for approach so a small improvement off the tee and on the greens should see him climb the leaderboard.
21st October 2022, 8:30am (UK time)
Player | Total |
Mullinax |
-6 |
Woodland |
-6 |
Kim T |
-5 |
Kitayama |
-5 |
Davis |
-5 |
Clark |
-5 |
McIlroy |
-5 |
Wise |
-5 |
Round 1 Summary
Our pre-event 200/1 selection, Trey Mullinax, raced into a three shot lead getting to 7 under par but a poor finish saw Gary Woodland tie with at 6 under par. Rory McIlroy and playing partner Tom Kim lurk just one shot back. There are 25 players within three shots of the lead.
Round 1 Quotes
"Look, it's a golf course where you can hit driver a lot, the fairways are quite generous, but obviously if you go off the fairways, you can get in some trouble. But I drove the ball well today. I took advantage of the par 5s, the drivable par 4 on the back nine there, 15. Yeah, if I can keep driving it like that over the next few days, I'll be in a good spot." Rory McIlroy
"I think it was pretty hard to hole putts out there, the greens are extremely fast." Tyrell Hatton
"Overall, it was really good. I feel like it's playing so firm and fast that to shoot under par, it can be tricky, so I'm really pleased with my round today." Kurt Kitayama
Round 2 Weather
Sunny. Minimal wind 2-5mph so near perfect conditions.
How do we expect the market favourites to perform?
Rory McIlroy's driving yesterday was of an extremely high standard but he couldn't quite match it with his approach play. Conditions look perfect for him to continue his aggressive play off the tee and he is a worthy favourite at 7/2.
Equally so, Tom Kim is a justified second favourite, having won two of his last five events. Eight players at 20/1 or less show the depth of quality still in the running here and as a result neither price is tempting us.
Where is the value?
With high winds forecast for Saturday, we are hesitant to take any short odds at this stage and will chase the each way places.
Round 2 Bets
- 1pt Each Way Billy Horschel 50/1 @ General (1/5 1-5)
Billy is three shots back after a steady 3 under par. He will be happy with that start after three weeks off and now that he's shaken off the rust he can start to make his move today. He arrives on the back of two top 10's on the DP Tour and played nicely tee to green yesterday, so game looks to be in good shape. A winner at memorial last year where he beat off Aaron Wise who is also going well here this week.
- 0.5pts Each Way Taylor Moore 80/1 @ Bet365 (1/5 1-5)
Moore appears to be getting more comfortable at this level with back to back top 10's at the end of last season and he has started this season nicely too, 12th last week at ZOZO and two other top 40's. Much of this form has been due to an improvement with the putter, gaining strokes on the greens in eight of his last nine events where the stats were recorded. This bodes well for the rest of the week as he ranked 3rd tee to green yesterday. At two shots back, he can get himself in the mix this week.