An elite field (for a fall event) gets things rolling at the 2019 CJ Cup at Nine Bridges this week with nearly $10 million at stake in this no-cut, 78-golfer field. Jordan Spieth will make his season debut, while Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and others will tee it up looking for an early win on the new year.
Let's take a look at this week's contest.
Event information
What: CJ Cup | When: Oct. 16-20
Where: Nine Bridges Golf Club -- Jeju Island, South Korea
Ranking the field (odds)
- Brooks Koepka (9-1): King.
- Justin Thomas (13/2): Five straight top-12 finishes, won here two years ago.
- Viktor Hovland (20-1): Sorry, I already own all of the stock.
- Hideki Matsuyama (16-1): (Quietly) Three top 20s in his last four starts. Top 20 here last year.
- Marc Leishman (25-1): Top 20 both years here, nearly won it in 2017. Third in his last start in Napa.
- Danny Willett (33-1): Coming in off a win on the European Tour. Great Round 1 here in 2018.
- Rafa Cabrera-Bello (25-1): T3 and T11 in two starts here.
- Sungjae Im (25-1): Won last week ... on the Korean Tour, but still.
- Tommy Fleetwood (20-1): Four top 20s in his last five events. Wind could howl for him.
- Sergio Garcia (25-1): He's gaining nearly three (!) strokes per round from tee to green on the Euro Tour.
Field strength -- A-: If we're really using a fall schedule curve, this is more like an A+. Of course, when you throw nearly $10 million on the table and don't include a cut, it's not that difficult to get guys to show up.
Two things to watch
1. Spieth's start: I went deep on this on Tuesday, but I'm fascinated to see how Spieth fares to start his year. I don't know that I'll overreact either way except that I'll probably definitely overreact either way. He hasn't played the Asian swing in several years and has never played the CJ Cup, so both this and potentially falling out of the top 40 in the Official World Golf rankings are a bit of unfamiliar territory for him.
2. Sungjae Im's opportunity: It would be massive for Im to win this event in his home country, especially coming off a win in last week's Korean Tour event. On the heels of his PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, he's become a big deal in South Korea.
"I went to a practice range and many people recognized me," he said this week. "It is different from last year. When I go to golf courses people recognize me. Going into the CJ Cup I would love to win, but I just plan to do my best each and every round. If I try my best on each round, I might get good results. I hope to be in the top 10."
Past winners
- 2018: Brooks Koepka
- 2017: Justin Thomas
CJ Cup picks
Winner: Marc Leishman (25-1) -- It seems like he's already won this tournament twice. He's another guy for whom the whipping winds in this area of the world could provide some benefit. Good form, good history and a ton to like about his chances.
Top 10: Justin Thomas (13/2) -- He's played in seven golf tournaments since the Travelers Championship in June and finished in the top 12 in all of them.
Sleeper: Pat Perez (50-1) -- He's finished T7 and T5 in two trips here, and is coming in off a third-place finish in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. That 50-1 number on him is tasty.
