K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect

May 06, 2025

K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect
사진=김용 기자



[McKinnie (Texas, USA) = Reporter Kim Yong from Sports Chosun] Could it be more perfect.

The PGA Tour, the only one hosted by a Korean company, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson (hereinafter referred to as The CJ Cup), was completed with great success.

This competition was held from the 2nd (hereinafter Korean time) to the 5th at TPC Craig Branch in McKinney, near Dallas, Texas.




CJ Group has been hosting the only regular PGA Tour in Korea since 2017. The competition was held in Jeju, but the venue was relocated to the United States from 2020 due to the aftermath of COVID-19. And last year, we faced a major transformation. It was decided to integrate the Dallas regional representative competition, which has been going on since 1944, with Byron Nelson. CJ signed a 10-year contract to sponsor the title of the Byron Nelson competition from last year. And for the second year of this year, we had a big feast at TPC Craig Granch.

Everything was perfect.

K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect
사진=김용 기자
First, it's a big box office success. A total of more than 180,000 galleries entered the competition. If it hadn't rained on the 3rd, when the second round was held, it could have exceeded 200,000 people. At that time, the game was suspended for more than six hours due to heavy rain, and galleries turned away. However, it exceeded 180,000 and broke the gallery record of the most in TPC Craig Ranch history.




The more fans visited, the more it could be an opportunity for CJ and Korean culture to spread. In particular, CJ Group ran 'House of CJ' for the first time in this competition. It created a large-scale indoor space in the center of the venue, allowing visitors to experience various Korean cultures. Fans who visited 'House of CJ' in an exciting club atmosphere could eat, see and experience K-pop and screen X contents directly through various Korean food, Olive Young powder rooms, K-beauty, and CJ ENM parts through Bibigo concessions.

K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect
사진=김용 기자
'House of CJ' is more popular than the game, and during the daytime when fans are crowded, long lines are stretched to wait for admission. On top of that, Kai Trump, the granddaughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, visited the scene and became a big topic. Kai gave a thumbs up, saying "It was fun to experience the K-culture I was interested in at House of CJ firsthand, and especially the Korean food was very good"

In particular, chicken gangjeong, spicy dumplings, and bibimbap made at the food concession of CJ's proud food brand 'Vibigo' were sold like hot cakes. Kim Yoo-sang, the management leader of CJ Group's sports marketing team, was satisfied, saying, `The CJ Cup has become a venue for a festival where Bibigo promotes K-food to people around the world.'




It was more successful because it was a competition that received attention not only from the field but also from all over the United States. It was because of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect
사진=김용 기자
Schaeffler enjoyed the heyday of his life with seven wins, including last year's Masters championship, and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. However, I was injured by broken glass fragments on the table at home last winter. He underwent surgery due to a torn palm and failed to participate in the tournament in the opening season. He returned late, but he had no choice but to be nervous because he had no wins in eight tournaments before the CJ Cup.

Since this competition is not a signature competition, few top rankers participated. Scheffler was the only player among the top 10 players in the world rankings. Scheffler completed his application to participate in the tournament early, regardless of the size of the prize money. It was to show his affection for the tournament where he played as a PGA player for the first time in front of his hometown fans. When he was a high school student, Scheffler made his presence known to the world and became the world's best golfer.

K Culture's popular closing song, all-time box office hit, moving story leader CJ Cup, couldn't have been more perfect
AP Yonhap News
Therefore, even without star players, attention was focused on whether Scheffler could win his first championship. And as Scheffler hit 10 under par in the first round, the attention increased. The value of the tournament's success was inevitably higher than any other tournament, as Scheffler recorded 31 under par, setting a record for the lowest number of strokes in the PGA history (253 strokes).

After the victory, Scheffler said, "We are grateful that CJ Group sponsored the competition. This tournament means a lot to me and to the community."



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.