THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES

Jeju Island, South Korea

Defending Champion: Justin Thomas

For those of you casual golf fans out there, yes, the 2018-2019 PGA Tour season is already underway. While I love some good NBA offseason drama, or NFL Draft season, what makes being a golf fan so fun is that there is action all year long. This week, the PGA Tour stays on the other side of the world for THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in South Korea as it hosts this tournament for the second straight year. With Justin Thomas there to defend his title, the field also includes the likes of 2017-18 Player of the Year Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, and Marc Leishman, who won last week at CIMB Classic last week in Malaysia. With a solid field for October in South Korea, a pretty stunning course in Nine Bridges, and live golf being played at night (in the States), The CJ Cup is just another sporting event to watch (and gamble on) this weekend.

*Note since they are in South Korea, the tournament will start at 6:45pm ET on Wednesday.**

Hopefully the second installment of THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES will be as exciting as the inaugural tournament that ended with JT outlasting Marc Leishman in a playoff. The action started early last year with JT jumping out to an early lead with a 9-under, 63, on Thursday, but due to the winds that rolled in on the weekend at Nine Bridges, JT finished on Sunday right at that 9-under mark. The lack of wind during the first round led to a scoring average of 70.949, which just shows how getable this course can be for these guys. However, for how getable this 7,184 yard Par 72 could be in calm conditions, the last 3 rounds of last year’s tournament proved how difficult it could be when the wind is blowing as it yielded a final scoring average of 73.187. Now, I am no weatherman, so I cannot predict if the wind will be blowing this week on Jeju Island, but I can predict some golfers to keep an eye on if the flags do start flapping.

When the winds aren’t blowing…

When the winds are blowing…

As I alluded to in my introduction blog, my goal is to #GrowTheGame of golf using my voice at The Sports Daily, but my other goal is to #GrowTheBankroll. Each week I will include my favorite picks to win, matchup bets, and DFS plays for all of you degenerates out there who like their action as much as I do.

This week, I am going to not only focus on guys who play exceptionally well in windy conditions, but could also take care of business on slow greens, which are expected to run at about a 10 on the stimpmeter this week. Obviously I cannot predict if it will be windy, but these are all world class players so I am not afraid of finding guys who can score in calm conditions, but since the wind plays such a big factor, it would be a nice to pick some guys who you know can handle their own if the wind starts blowing.

2018 CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES Winner….

Jason Day +1200

I don’t love that the first pick I give out is one of the favorites to win the tournament, because there isn’t much value to it, but I do love how Days game sets up for this course. Thanks to my friends at Future of Fantasy, I was able to find a few stats that backs up these claims with Day ranking 2nd in Strokes Gained playing in the wind (3.036 sg:total), but also ranks 3rd in Strokes Gained putting on slow greens (2.749 sg:total). Day was also lucky enough to be in the field for the inaugural CJ Cup, where he finished T-11, so he will have a head start on others making their first appearance at NINE BRIDGES.

Longshot of the Week

Rafa Cabrera Bello +50000

Another guy who finished T-11 in last years tournament, as well as being one of the best putters on slow greens (2.512 sg:total) on Tour, I also like throwing a little on Cabrera Bello to get his first PGA Tour victory this week in South Korea. While I love a good stat every once in a while, I also like to think about motives, and Bello being left off the winning Ryder Cup team has to sting, so I would expect Rafa to play with a chip on his shoulder this season. Look for his 2020 Ryder Cup campaign to start…..now.

Matchup Bet of the Week

Si Woo Kim (Even) vs. Chesson Hadley

I’ll take the native South Korean, and CJ sponsored athlete in this full tournament matchup. Hadleys stock may be a little over inflated after a T-2 finish last week at the CIMB Classic, so I am going to fade him this week and favor the guy who feels at home in South Korea.

DDFS Plays of the Week

Obvious Pick of the Week: Hideki Matsuyama $10,400

After a less than stellar 2017-18 season, this seems like a perfect spot to get off on the right foot for the 2018-19 season.

Gut Guy of the Week: Pat Perez $7,000

A guy who has had success on the Asian Swing of the PGA Tour winning last years CIMB Classic, it seems like this is the time of the year that Perez plays his best golf.

Value Pick of the Week: Jamie Lovemark $6,800

As I continue to write for TSD, you will see I very clearly have some biases, and Lovemark is a prime example. After following him at the Arnold Palmer down in Orlando earlier this year, it was a swing that I fell in love with, and I will continue to follow him on his journey to find that elusive first PGA Tour victory.

This wraps up my first preview blog, but be sure to follow me on Twitter for updates throughout the tournament, as well as other golf content. If there are any other aspects of a preview you would be interested in, please let me know and I will continue to upgrade it on a weekly basis. Good luck, and enjoy THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES.