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Erik van Rooyen finished as a runner-up at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson held at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. The South African player earned his way to the PGA Tour's sixth signature event of the season, the Truist Championship, which will be held from Thursday, May 8, to Sunday, May 11.
In the post-tournament press conference, Rooyen was asked about the PGA Tour's Signature event qualifying system for the Truist Championship. He earned his way via the Aon Swing 5, a pathway for the top FedEx Cup earners from the Corales, Zurich Classic, and CJ CUP Byron Nelson.
The 35-year-old said (via ASAP Sports):
"How honest do you want me to be? I hate it (laughter). I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them. The guys on the PGA TOUR are so good. It's so deep. I get that you've got the Scotties [Scottie Scheffler] of the world, the Rorys [Rory McIlroy] of the world, and people want to see them, it's entertaining."
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Erik van Rooyen acknowledged his pride in qualifying but also made it clear that he disliked the system. He also compared the Signature events with Major championships, saying that those offer better fields.
"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. Again, really proud of playing my way into it," he added.
Signature events became part of the PGA Tour in 2023. This year, five signature events have been held, and three are remaining, including the Truist Championship. Rooyen said he didn't know that he qualified for the tournament and was planning to go home with his visiting parents, but saw it as a good problem to have.
A look at Erik van Rooyen's performance in 2025
Erik van Rooyen has had a mixed start to the 2025 season. In 12 starts, he has made six cuts but also missed six cuts. He has registered two top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish.
Apart from his second-place finish at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, his notable performances include a T9 at the Cognizant Classic and a T30 finish at the Sony Open. He's currently positioned 53rd in the FedEx Cup standings.
Let's take a look at Rooyen's performance in the 2025 season:
2025 PGA TOUR Tournaments
- Sony Open in Hawaii: T30 (271, -9)
- The American Express: Missed Cut (213, -3)
- Farmers Insurance Open: Missed Cut (147, +3)
- AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T40 (280, -8)
- WM Phoenix Open: Missed Cut (143, +1)
- Mexico Open at VidantaWorld: T59 (279, -5)
- Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches: T9 (270, -14)
- THE PLAYERS Championship: Missed Cut (145, +1)
- Valero Texas Open: T62 (296, +8)
- Corales Puntacana Championship: Missed Cut (144, E)
- Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Missed Cut at team event (135, -9)
- THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: 2 (261, -23)
2024-25 DP World Tournaments
- Nedbank Golf Challenge: T24 (291, +3)
- Alfred Dunhill Championship: T42 (286, -2)
