The best field of the “Fall Swing” teed off early on Thursday morning from Ridgeland, SC as the CJ Cup got underway. Many of the top players in the world gathered at Congaree Golf Club, but it was Trey Mullinax who stole the show early in the day. He extended out to 7-under at one point during his round and would drop one shot coming in to slip to 6-under for a solid opening round 65.
Gary Woodland tied Mullinax with a 65 of his own and those two share the lead going into Friday. Rory McIlroy is the biggest name of the six players at 5-under, which also includes his playing partner, Tom Kim. The course was gettable on Thursday as the field averaged nearly a full stroke under par and it sets things up for an exciting week, especially as players move into position before the weekend.
This is a no cut event with 78 of the top players on TOUR and with several big names off to slow starts, we will have plenty of value available going into day two. Let’s take a look at who stands out from a value perspective going into Friday.