CJ Cup gets a boost as world No. 2 Koepka agrees to play

World No. 2 Brooks Koepka will play at the only PGA Tour event in Korea next month, the event’s organizers said Thursday.

CJ Group, the host of the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, said Koepka, a three-time major champion, will join a strong field that also features defending champion Justin Thomas and 2015 PGA Championship winner Jason Day, both of them former world No. 1. Thomas committed to the tournament last Thursday.

This will be the second edition of the CJ Cup, which will be played at the Club at Nine Bridges on the southern resort island of Jeju from Oct. 18-21.

Koepka has won four times on the tour and three of those victories have come at majors. He has won the past two U.S. Opens and added a PGA Championship title last month.

Other big names include: Ernie Els, four-time major champion and Hall of Famer; Adam Scott, former world No. 1 and 2013 Masters champion; and Stewart Cink, who won the 2009 Open Championship for his first major.

Former European Tour Rookie of the Year An Byeong-hun leads the Korean contingent. He’s the top-ranked Korean at No. 46, eight spots ahead of two-time PGA winner Kim Si-woo.

The organizers said 32 of the top 50 players by FedEx Cup points have committed to the CJ Cup, seven more than last year.

Yonhap