McKINNEY, Texas — K.H. Lee has won twice on the PGA Tour deep in the heart of Texas, but should he ever win the Masters, he has already thought of at least one dish he’d serve at his Champions Dinner the following year: Tteokbokki, a simmered spicy rice cake noodle dish with minced meat.
“I think American people would love it,” he said.
Lee is back at TPC Craig Ranch this week where he has experienced great success and also where the tournament has a new flavor. Lee’s biggest sponsor, CJ, a South Korea-based holding group with a presence in food, retail, logistics, media and biotechnology, has stepped in to replace AT&T as the title sponsor of the Tour’s annual stop to the Dallas Metroplex.
The CJ brand has had a consistent presence in professional golf through ambassadors such as Ben An, Sungjae Im, Si Woo Kim and Lee, and has been associated with the PGA Tour dating to 2017 when the Tour hosted its first event in South Korea on Jeju Island. But due largely to the outbreak of COVID-19, which prevented travel to Korea, the tournament has bounced around from Las Vegas to Ridgeland, South Carolina. Finally, the CJ Cup is putting down roots in Dallas, a city home to a large contingent of Korean-Americans, signing a long-term deal in what has become known as the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
“It’s a storied tournament,” said Minsok Pak, CEO of CJ Food. “It gives us a permanent spot for the next 10 years, which allows us to have a deeper connection with the community.”
CJ has long valued the nexus between sport and consumers, and used that bridge to connect them elsewhere. The company is in the middle of a six-year partnership with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, who wear a logo patch on their jersey. Lakers legends World Metta Peace and Sasha Vujacic participated in activities at the golf tournament in a branding crossover.
The timing of CJ’s takeover of a local institution that has carried the Nelson name since 1968 coincides with a re-brand of Bibigo, which launched its U.S. business in 2010, and is considered an important part of the company’s global portfolio, accounting for roughly a third of its total food business. In the last four years, Bibigo’s market share has grown 1,100 percent, and the sense is they’re just scratching the surface.
Jordan Spieth hits a tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch on May 02, 2024 in McKinney, Texas. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images for…
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