Erik van Rooyen sends clear message about the Truist Championship, this week’s PGA signature event: “I hate it”

Erik van Rooyen clinched second at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson over the weekend, shooting an impressive 63 in Sunday’s final round to finish runner-up to Scottie Scheffler.

The South African picked up more than $1 million in prize money as a result of that finish and also earnt qualification for this week’s signature event, the Truist Championship. But speaking to reporters on Sunday evening, Van Rooyen did not seem entirely pleased.

“How honest do you want me to be?” Van Rooyen replied, when asked how he felt about it. “I hate it.”

Of course, it wasn’t the second-place finish or the seven-figure bonus that prompted that reaction. But Van Rooyen had been planning to return to South Africa for a week of relaxation. His impressive showing at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson ensures that he will be spending it at the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course instead.

He went on to say that he dislikes these ‘signature’ events, which have a limited field and altered qualification rules. Organizers claim that this ensures a greater concentration of talent but it often means that some of the world’s best players are omitted from the field.

“I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them,” Van Rooyen said. “The guys on the PGA Tour are so good. It’s so deep. I get that you’ve got the Scotties of the world, the Rorys of the world, and people want to see them, it’s entertaining.

“Like the PGA Championship coming up, for example, I think it’s the strongest field in the game, similar to The Players. I love competing, so selfishly I want to compete against those guys.”

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