Canadian Taylor Pendrith, 32, has won the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson after shooting 23 under par and outlasting Ben Kohles, 34, in a match that came down to the final hole at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney.
This victory is the first PGA tournament win of Pendrith’s 74 career tournament starts, according to Golfweek.
Pendrith struggled with consistency during this year’s tour, missing the cut in six of his last 11 tournaments played but finishing inside the top 25 in four of the five tournaments in which he made the cut.
Pendrith finished the first two rounds of the weekend 11 under par, but an incredible final two days, shooting eight under in the third round and four under in the fourth, catapulted the Canadian golfer into first place to end the weekend.
Shortly after finishing his fourth and final round, Pendrith said he was “super thrilled” about the win and even happier that he had the chance to do it in front of his family.
“Obviously haven’t had my best stuff this year. To have them here, they’ve been here through everything and it’s super special. You know, Meg’s my biggest fan and support staff. And to have this little guy by my side every week is amazing,” he said while speaking about his wife and son, according to The PGA Tour.
As the first-place finisher in this year’s CJ Cup, Pendrith is set to take home $1.71 million with Kohles’ winnings coming to a total of $1.035 million for finishing in second place, according to Golf.com.
Third place in this year’s tournament was claimed by Alex Noren, who finished 21 under par over the four rounds and will take home $655,500 in winnings.
This year’s Byron Nelson tournament was sponsored by CJ Foods, a lifestyle company whose goal is to “introduce the delicious, convenient and nutritious Korean and Asian food and culture to the world.”
Minsok Pak, CEO of CJ Foods, spoke to The Dallas Express about their decision to participate in the CJ Cup and sponsor another PGA Tour event, explaining that the company was “honored to join a beloved tournament with a rich history that has become a fixture of the local community.”
“This sponsorship is especially meaningful as Dallas has one of America’s largest Korean communities, so it was only fitting that CJ infuse Korean culture throughout the course by featuring its #1 Korean food brand in the U.S., bibigo.”
Pak noted that he is grateful for the opportunity to participate in such events and said that it has allowed CJ Foods to continue growing in the U.S.
“Our sports sponsorships allow us to connect with fans in the U.S., as well as globally, which is one of the reasons why we’re committed to investing in our bibigo brand in this way,” he added in a statement to DX.
Moving forward, Pak added that CJ Foods would love to sponsor another event and is open to all possibilities.
“We see sports as a wonderful way to connect with consumers and their passions and if there’s an opportunity for CJ to expand our sponsorship portfolio, we’d definitely consider it,” Pak said.
