Power Rankings: THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES
The record books are updated every time a golfer seals a victory on the PGA TOUR. Naturally, tournaments lay the foundation for achievement, but every once in a while, it's the tournament itself that makes history. THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES is the first PGA TOUR event in South Korea. Ever. It will be contested at The Club at Nine Bridges located in the late-afternoon shadow of Mount Halla, the volcano in the center of Jeju Island, south of the mainland. Seventy-eight golfers are in the field. There is no cut. Total prize money is $9.25 million of which the winner will receive $1.665 million in addition to 500 FedExCup points. Opened 2017-18 with a runner-up finish at Silverado. That piggybacked a T7-T7 conclusion to the Playoffs. Inexperience is rapidly eroding in favor of comfort and savvy. Recovered from a slow start in defense of his CIMB title and finished T17. It's his second-worst effort of his last six. Always dangerous to contend as much as he fades. Manufacturing one superior performance after another despite getting in his own way at times. Opened the CIMB with 77 and still finished T7. Seven top 10s in last five months. Immediately following his win at the CIMB Classic, he said that he's not going to change his approach. Good! He co-led the field in GIR. That's the ticket at Nine Bridges. Continues to put the world on notice. Chased his TOUR Championship win with a T3 at the CIMB Classic where he co-led the field in par-5 scoring. Quiet T3 at the TOUR Championship punctuated a phenomenal season during which he ranked inside the top 30 in both GIR and strokes gained: putting. Kicked off the season with a steady T10 at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Better known as a superb putter, it was his tee-to-green proficiency that allowed for the noisemaker. Finished T9 last season in red numbers, but of those inside the top 10, he made the third-fewest starts. Won a month ago at the BMW Championship. It shouldn't be underplayed that he advanced to the TOUR Championship despite a challenging 2017 outside the ropes even if he needed a late flurry of top 10s to convert. He loves himself some TPC Kuala Lumpur where he ranked fourth in both GIR and scrambling during last week's runner-up finish. Just needs to keep the pedal down. Bookended a T5 at TPC Kuala Lumpur with 64s, field lows in each of those rounds. Also paced the field in par-4 scoring and ranked fourth in birdie-or-better percentage. The turnover into a new season has been nothing more than semantics to frame his form. He's 13-for-13 since Colonial with eight top 25s. T5 in GIR at the CIMB (T17). Roller-coastered to a T10 at the CIMB Classic to give him consecutive top 10s in individual competition for the first time on the PGA TOUR (T9, BMW Championship). Fulfilled his projection for a solid week at TPC Kuala Lumpur, but his T3 exceeded the expectation. The 30-year-old native of Seoul is now treated to a home game. Nine Bridges plays right into his hands as a preeminent ball-striker. Placed T21 at the CIMB Classic while slotting inside the top five in both fairways and greens hit. POWER RANKINGS: THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES RANK PLAYER COMMENT Adam Scott , Patrick Reed, Daniel Berger, Thomas Pieters and Charl Schwartzel will be among the notables included in Tuesday's Fantasy Insider. Nine Bridges made its global debut as the backdrop for the World Club Championship in 2002. In addition to returning as host for that event multiple times, the course hosted the LPGA from 2002-2005. For its foray on the PGA TOUR, Nine Bridges will play as a stock par 72 tipping at 7,196 yards. Bentgrass covers the property, which sits at approximately 3,500 feet above sea level. Strategic bunkering and water hazards throughout fit dual-purpose roles of beauty and be careful. The walk culminates with a 568-yard par 5 that has both a split fairway and island green. Nine Bridges took a beating from harsh summer weather, so greens should be receptive on approach. With no fear of missing a cut and virtually zero first-hand knowledge of the putting surfaces, aggressive ball-striking will be rewarded. The course's primary defense is the wind. It's expected to blow steadily at 10-20 mph throughout the tournament. That leads an interesting mix of heavy air at mild altitude even though Jeju Island is cooler and drier in autumn. Daytime temperatures will climb only into the high 60s. ROB BOLTON'S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Rookie Ranking, Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical Extensions, Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, The Confidence Factor, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * - Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
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