X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

PGA DFS: Horse For The Course - The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges

Welcome back PGA RotoBallers! The "Big Aussie" Marc Leishman ran away with the CIMB Classic in the final round to take home his fourth career PGA Tour victory. We enter the second leg of the "Asia Swing" this week as we head to Korea for the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges!

As it does in most facets of life, money talks in golf. The CJ Cup has a huge $9.5 million purse that will be split between 78 players in this no-cut event, with the winner taking home over $1.7 million. As a result, we have a strong field this week. Justin Thomas won the title last year in the event's debut and is back to defend. He'll be joined in Korea by some elite players like Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, and Hideki Matsuyama among others. The promise of a nice guaranteed payday and FedEx Cup points brings a solid group of players to The Club at Nine Bridges.

There is no cut this week, which always alters how we tackle lineup construction. We are looking for upside and can take some chances when choosing players. We also have another Wednesday evening start time, so don't forget to have lineups set! Unfortunately, we only have one year of course history to evaluate for this event. We will take last year's results into consideration, but won't completely rely on course history alone this week. We've got a cool golf course and a talented field...let's tee it up!

Horse For The Course will take a look at players that have traditionally flourished at the course that hosts this week’s PGA TOUR event. This is not a traditional picks column, but rather an attempt to pinpoint players that have outstanding results at a specific course. "The Horse" is a player with an elite course history and that has a great chance to repeat his success in this week's tournament. "The Ponies" are players with very good course history, that might be entering this week's tournament under the radar or have a DFS price that is a great value.

For a full review of the DraftKings PGA Slate this weekend, check out Seth Finklestein's column reviewing picks at every price point.

You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week.

Editor's Note: Our friends at Fantasy National have built some incredible DFS Golf lineup tools including a Lineup Optimizer, Stat Engine, Ownership Projections and Course Breakdowns. They are by far the best daily fantasy Golf tools in the industry. Seriously. You can read all about them here and see screenshots. 

Sign Up Now!

 

The Course: The Club at Nine Bridges - Par 72 - 7,184 Yards

Since opening in 2001, The Club at Nine Bridges has been met with universal acclaim from the golf world. Located on Jeju Island near the base of Mount Halla, Nine Bridges uses the unique natural features of the island to shape holes, including the interesting par-5 18th that has it's green literally sitting on an island. The course is well-protected by Mother Nature, with unpredictable winds that can give players fits. In last year's debut edition, Nine Bridges proved that it could provide a stiff test for the best players in the world. Of the 51 measured courses played last season, Nine Bridges ranked fourth in difficulty. This week, we are targeting players that have solid tee-to-green games, that play well on difficult courses, and can grind out pars with their scrambling ability.

 

The Horse

Byeong-Hun An (DraftKings - $8,700 & FanDuel - $9,700 )

While I have tons of interest in the marquee names that are in this week's field, I'm going to go a little off-page with this week's "Horse". Byeong-Hun (Ben) An finished tied for 11th in last year's edition of the CJ Cup and returns for this year's tournament fresh off a T13 at last week's CIMB Classic. Nevermind home course, a native of Korea, An will have the home country advantage this week. While I don't know that An's Korean roots will help him with the Nine Bridges layout, I do think he will be better equipped to deal with the wind and weather that might play a factor this week.

An hasn't reached the "next level" on the PGA Tour yet, but the 27-year-old made his presence known during the 2018 season by logging three top-five finishes, including runner-ups at The Memorial and the RBC Canadian Open. He has shown a propensity to play well on courses that are difficult, often faring better in tough environments than he does in birdie-fests. He logged solid finishes at The Honda Classic (T5), The Arnold Palmer Invitational (T14), and the RBC Heritage (T7)...all tournaments that are played on challenging courses where par is a good score.

An is an excellent ball striker that ranked 12th in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and 18th in SG: Approach on the PGA Tour last season. The stat that jumps out at me is An's standing at 21st in Scrambling % for 2018, a skill that we know will be very important at Nine Bridges this week. When we use Fantasy National to dig deeper into An's statistics, we find that over his last 36 rounds he ranks an impressive second in the CJ Cup field in Scrambling Gained and fifth in Bogeys Avoided. An's achilles heel is the putter and he ranks just 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting over his last 36 rounds.

I wouldn't call An a great "value" this week, as he's fairly priced at $8,700 on DK and $9,700 FD. I actually like that his salary isn't super cheap, as I believe it will make his ownership levels quite low. Many folks will overlook An to get a more well-known name in their lineup and that's absolutely fine with me. The putting is a concern, and we will need him to find his putting stroke this week to realize his full upside potential, but if he can somehow get really hot with the flatstick, a win isn't out of the question. I like the boxes that An checks off this week and will be using him in single-entry and large-field GPP's.

 

The Ponies

Tyrrell Hatton (DK - $9,500 & FD - $9,600 )

Sometimes in this article you just have to go with your gut. There is no course history to support going with Tyrrell Hatton this week, but I can't shake the feeling that the Englishman will play well in the CJ Cup. There are several things that line up well for Hatton at Nine Bridges and we'll get to some of those in just a moment, but I'm most impressed with his amazing recent form.

Hatton most recently finished runner-up in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, this after a strong showing for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup. The dude closed out the 2018 season like a rockstar, logging a top-10 in the PGA Championship and playing great golf throughout the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Over his last 16 PGA Tour rounds, Hatton fired 12 sub-70 rounds.

Despite a lack of course history, Hatton's stats align well with what leads to success at Nine Bridges. Using Fantasy National, we find that over his last 24 rounds Hatton ranks second in both Scrambling Gained and Bogeys Avoided. Hatton is extremely solid across the board recently and over his last 12 rounds ranks inside the field's top-10 in Strokes Gained: Total, Tee to Green, Approach, and Around the Green.

While I typically focus most of my personal play on DraftKings, I will be going heavier than usual over at FanDuel just to take advantage of Hatton and someone we will discuss next. Hatton's hugely underpriced relative to the field on FD at just $9,600. I like the Englishman in all DFS formats this week.

Sungjae Im (DK - $8,000 & FD - $8,400)

It might sound crazy...but Sungjae Im was almost this week's "Horse". Why you ask? Because Im not only grew up on Jeju Island, but Nine Bridges IS HIS HOME COURSE! That's right, Sungjae Im grew up playing this course.

A professional golfer playing a tournament on his home course would always draw our interest, but Im also happens to be an ultra-talented 20-year-old that has played out of his mind over the past year. Im was so dominant on the Web.com Tour in 2018 that he was the first player in the history of that tour to lead the regular season money list wire-to-wire. He picked up two victories and a staggering 11 top-25's on the Web.com and cruised to earning full-time PGA Tour status for the 2019 season.

Im made his 2019 PGA Tour debut two weeks ago at the Safeway Open where he looked completely at ease with golf's best and logged an impressive T4 finish. We can grab the young man at $8,000 on DraftKings and a ridiculous $8,400 on FanDuel. The last time I remember a perfect setup like this was Ole Miss star Braden Thornberry teeing it up on a sponsor's exemption at TPC Southwind, a course that he grew up playing, just week's after winning the NCAA Individual Championship. Thornberry went on to notch a T4 as an amateur in the St. Jude Classic in 2017. This is that type of situation and we only come across these once or twice a year. Get him in your lineups this week!

Jamie Lovemark (DK - $6,800 & FD - $8,500)

For our final highlighted player of the week, we are going to move down the salary scale to Jamie Lovemark at $6,800. Lovemark will be making his second trip to The Club at Nine Bridges this week. He fared well in last year's CJ Cup, scoring an impressive T5.

Lovemark doesn't jump off the page at you, but I like the intangibles he brings to the table. He is an excellent wind player that has proven he can deal with the weather on Jeju Island. Lovemark also plays difficult courses very well. Fantasy National illustrates that Lovemark gains over .5 strokes per round on the field when rounds are at their most difficult. This attribute is reinforced by his scrambling ability and he ranks fourth in the field in Scrambling Gained over his last 36 rounds.

Lovemark is a somewhat boom-or-bust option. There are week's when he just doesn't have it, but as we can see from last year's CJ Cup performance, he has top-five upside. The guy finished 31st in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green on the PGA Tour last year, so he has the talent to show up big for us at his discount price. He's strictly a GPP option, but I like taking a shot with Lovemark in large-field tournaments this week.

 

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks

 

Premium DFS Golf Tools and Lineup Optimizer

Our friends at Fantasy National have created some game-changing DFS Golf tools, and you can read all about them here. They are hands-down the best daily fantasy Golf tools in the industry.

Sign Up Now!

 

Fantasy National Golf Club

Fantasy National Golf Club

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
NFL

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
Max Scherzer

Cleared to Start on Saturday
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Kodai Senga

Could be "in Play" to Return Before All-Star Break
Ha-Seong Kim

Rays Reinstate Ha-Seong Kim From Injured List
Christian Moore

Placed on Injured List With Thumb Sprain
Luis L. Ortiz

the Subject of Gambling Investigation
Jordan Lawlar

to Miss Multiple Weeks With Hamstring Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Receives Encouraging News on his Hand
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Jacob Monk

Sees Plenty of Work With Starters
Avonte Maddox

has Impressed Dan Campbell
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Chicago Bears

Ruben Hyppolite Shows Notable Improvement
Toronto Raptors

Sandro Mamukelashvili Heading to Toronto
Daron Payne

Commanders Coaches Impressed With Daron Payne
Danny Gray

Makes Impression During Offseason Workouts
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dane Belton

Should Have a Role in 2025
Kaiir Elam

Flashes During Offseason Workouts
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Riley Greene

Homers Twice, Drives in Six on Wednesday
Max Muncy

Exits With Apparent Knee Injury
Christian Moore

Exits Early with Thumb Irritation
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Josh Naylor

Returning to Diamondbacks Lineup
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Oronde Gadsden

an Active Pass-Catcher This Offseason
Brashard Smith

Speed Could be Put to Use
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Pat Bryant

Off to a Good Start
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
Cody Barton

Quickly Becoming a Leader With his New Team
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
Montaric Brown

has Worked With Starters
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Ryan McLeod

Inks Four-Year Extension with Sabres
NAS

Predators Bring in Nick Perbix on Two-Year Deal
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
LA

Cody Ceci Moves to Los Angeles
DET

James van Riemsdyk Joins Red Wings on One-Year Contract
Viktor Arvidsson

Traded to Boston
Charlotte Hornets

Spencer Dinwiddie Lands With Charlotte
Josh Jung

Sent to Triple-A
Jurickson Profar

Officially Reinstated and Hitting in Five-Hole on Wednesday
Spencer Schwellenbach

Going on Injured List With Fractured Elbow
Maxwell Hairston

Facing Sexual-Assault Lawsuit
Tai Felton

Rookie Season Likely to be Spent on Special Teams
LeQuint Allen Jr.

to Have Receiving Role for Jaguars?
Justin Walley

Turning Heads Going into Rookie Season
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
Jamari Thrash

Establishing Himself as Reliable Option
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Brandon Woodruff

Likely to Pitch on Sunday in Miami
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
PHI

Dan Vladar Links Up With Flyers on Two-Year Deal
Zac Gallen

Fans 10 in Tuesday's Win
Hunter Goodman

Hits Two More Homers Tuesday
Milwaukee Bucks

Taurean Prince Staying in Milwaukee
Jeff Green

Signs One-Year Deal to Remain in Houston
Los Angeles Lakers

Jake LaRavia Lands with Lakers
Orlando Magic

Tyus Jones Signs One-Year Deal With Magic
Golden State Warriors

Kevon Looney Heads to New Orleans
Milwaukee Bucks

Jericho Sims Staying in Milwaukee
Denver Nuggets

Tim Hardaway Jr. Joins Nuggets
Detroit Pistons

Duncan Robinson Lands With Detroit
Charlotte Hornets

Tre Mann Remaining in Charlotte
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Milwaukee Bucks

Gary Harris Inks Deal With Bucks
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
Daniel Suarez

and Trackhouse Racing Parting Ways After 2025 Season
Ilia Topuria

Becomes The New Lightweight Champion
Charles Oliveira

Knocked Out At UFC 317
Kai Kara-France

Alexandre Pantoja Submits Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France

Submitted At UFC 317
Joshua Van

Extends His Win Streak
Brandon Royval

Drops Decision
Renato Moicano

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Beneil Dariush

Gets Back In The Win Column
Felipe Lima

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Payton Talbott

Bounces Back
Alex Bowman

Competitive Run Ends With Third-Place Finish at Atlanta
Erik Jones

Secures A Top-Five Finish After Adversity In Atlanta
Tyler Reddick

Collects A New Career-Best Finish At Atlanta
Chase Elliott

Ends Winless Skid With Atlanta Victory
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Atlanta Victory
Carson Hocevar

Recovers From Big One to Finish 10th at Atlanta
William Byron

Caught up in Atlanta Big One but Retains Points Lead
Denny Hamlin

Top In-Season Challenge Seed Denny Hamlin Eliminated in Lap 70 Crash
Ty Dillon

Bottom Seed Ty Dillon Upsets Denny Hamlin to Advance in In-Season Challenge
Kyle Larson

Don't Expect Kyle Larson to Win First Drafting Track Race on Saturday
Christopher Bell

Unlikely to Complete Atlanta Sweep
Brad Keselowski

Seeks Another Clutch Win for Hail-Mary Playoff Bid
Chris Buescher

Unlikely to Lead Enough to Have Much DFS Value
Alex Bowman

Qualifies Best Among Non-Fords but Unlikely to Contend at Atlanta
Ryan Preece

Will Probably Run Better Than Usual at Atlanta
Austin Dillon

Consistently Mediocre at Atlanta
Ty Gibbs

Slightly Faster Lately but Unlikely to be a Factor at Atlanta
Erik Jones

a Low-Key Strong DFS Option
Noah Gragson

Could Have DFS Value as One of the Lowest-Qualifying Fords
Riley Herbst

Unlikely to Replicate February Atlanta Finish