Steve Palmer's CJ Cup at Nine Bridges betting preview, free tips & course guide

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Starts midnight Wednesday
Live on Sky Sports Golf from 3am Thursday morning

Best bets

Sungjae Im
2.5pts each-way 25-1 BoyleSports
Back this tip with Coral
Hideki Matsuyama
2.5pts each-way 18-1 bet365
Back this tip with bet365

Justin Thomas and Brooks Koepka, the winners of the first two editions of the CJ Cup, are contesting favouritism for the third staging of the PGA Tour event in Korea.

Thomas, who won the BMW Championship in emphatic fashion two months ago and finished fourth after a slow start in the Safeway Open last time out, deserves market leadership. Koepka missed the cut by four shots on his seasonal reappearance in the Shriners Open and struggles to get motivated for regulation events.

Thomas is a more than fair investment at 7-1 in such a small field and will do for many punters, but two players for whom the CJ Cup is significantly more important make greater appeal at much bigger prices. There has to be a chance that Thomas is not entirely switched on, focused and fresh after a long journey from Florida.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Sungjae Im 25-1

The CIMB Classic has been axed from the PGA Tour schedule, so the traditional warm-up in Malaysia prior to the CJ Cup in Korea is no longer available and some players may struggle to hit the ground running at Nine Bridges this week.

Many PGA Tour stars will tee off in Korea with some jet-lag in their system, but local hero Sungjae Im is not one of them, and the 21-year-old rising star can take advantage of home comforts to land his maiden PGA Tour title.

Im was born on Jeju Island and his golf-mad parents had him swinging clubs at the age of three, the same year that Nine Bridges was opened, so he spent plenty of time as a youngster getting to know the layout he tackles this week. The prodigy finished 11th in a Korean Tour event at the age of 16, before turning professional and cutting his teeth on the Japan Tour.

Second place at Web.com Tour Q-School in December 2017 earned Im Stateside credentials then he won the first event of the new season by four shots, finishing runner-up the following week, before adding another Web victory in August, propelling himself straight to the PGA Tour.

Im needed no time to settle in the higher grade either – finishing fourth in the Safeway Open in his first PGA Tour outing – and ended up Rookie of the Year after contending on several occasions. Most recently, in the Sanderson Farms Championship at the end of last month, Im came agonisingly close to his maiden triumph, losing a playoff to Sebastian Munoz, and it seems only a matter of time before the breakthrough arrives.

This notoriously hard worker used the Genesis Championship, a Korean Tour event last week, to acclimatise for the CJ Cup, and that plan worked perfectly, a final-round 67 delivering a two-shot victory. History shows Im typically retains his form well and should be much more at ease in his second CJ Cup.

Last year was just his second regulation PGA Tour event, nerves played a big part, and he got off to a poor start, recovering well to finish 41st of 78 runners. This time, he tees off as an established PGA Tour star.

Im has forced his way inside the top 50 of the world rankings for the first time, moving up to 44th after his victory last week, and will be determined to stay there until the new year to secure a Masters debut. It is doubtful whether anyone else in the CJ Cup carries more desire for success on Sunday and that counts for plenty at a time of the year when many of the elite have mentally downed tools.

Next best bet

Hideki Matsuyama 18-1

Another CJ Cup runner eager for victory is Hideki Matsuyama, who has not lifted a trophy since the 2017 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and the former world number two should be trusted to go close in Korea.

The Japanese star, involved in the build-up to the forthcoming Japan Skins event and the Zozo Championship which follows, has adjusted to Asia and should be ready to get off to a flyer at Nine Bridges. At this time of the year in 2016, he won the WGC-HSBC Champions by seven shots, and the five-time PGA Tour champ is capable of beating up a far weaker field this week.

Matsuyama finished third in the BMW Championship a month ago, firing a pair of 63s, ending last season showing signs of finally finding a putting stroke to marry to his typically superb long-game. And a closing 65 for 16th spot in the Shriners last time out was another encouraging effort.

After a month off and without competing in the CIMB Classic warm-up, Matsuyama made an understandably slow start on his CJ Cup debut last year, but a nine-under-par weekend hauled him up to 18th place on a course which suits. Accurate iron-play is the key to success at Nine Bridges and hotshot Hideki always ends PGA Tour campaigns prominent in the strokes-gained-on-approach statistics.

The 27-year-old claimed eight titles on the Japan Tour before becoming a PGA Tour star and on Sunday a first victory across the Sea of Japan in Korea could easily arrive. Im and Matsuyama are the stand-out candidates to take advantage if Thomas makes a sluggish start.

Players to note

Gary Woodland
The US Open champion is recommended to those who are uncomfortable going into battle with only two players onside. Woodland has twice finished runner-up in the CIMB, as well as in the CJ Cup last year, so clearly enjoys the end-of-year Asian gatherings.

Cameron Smith
The Australian is keen to end the year strongly, with a Presidents Cup in his homeland on the horizon, and 13th place in the Shriners last time out was encouraging. He has finished third and seventh in the two previous CJ Cups.

Dylan Frittelli
The improving South African, who shed his PGA Tour maiden tag in the summer before opening the new season with a sixth and a seventh, has played well in Asia before and could make a strong CJ Cup debut.

Kevin Na
The Korean-born American won the Shriners Open last time out, producing a phenomenal putting performance, and he could ride the wave at Nine Bridges.

Byeong Hun An
The Korean is clinging on to a place in the top 50 of the world rankings and will be desperate to perform well in his homeland, where he won the 2015 Donghae Open. The three-time PGA Tour runner-up is still awaiting a maiden triumph in this grade.

Nine Bridges course guide

Course Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, Korea
Prize money $9.75m ($1.710m to the winner)
Length 7,196 yards
Par 72
Field 78
Course records- 72 holes 267 Brooks Koepka (2018) 18 holes 62 Ryan Palmer (2018)

Course winners taking part Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka

When to bet By midnight Wednesday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports from 3am Thursday

Time difference Korea is eight hours ahead of the UK and Ireland

Last week - Houston Open 1 L Griffin (60-1), T2 S Harrington (150-1), M Hubbard (100-1), T4 H English (50-1), X Zhang (80-1), T Gooch (150-1), C Ortiz (66-1), S Straka (125-1)

Course overview Nine Bridges is located on Jeju Island, a volcanic island South of Korea's continental landmass, and rated one of the finest courses in Asia. It was designed by Ronald Fream and David Dale, and opened in 2001. The creators said they wanted a “Scottish Highlands” type track. It features valleys, ponds, creeks, bunkers and numerous doglogs, but the fairways are wide and welcoming. Justin Thomas won the inaugural CJ Cup in a windy 2017 edition, having covered 72 holes in nine under par, but Brooks Koepka reached 21 under in more favourable weather 12 months ago.

Story of last year Brooks Koepka fired a final-round 64, romping to a four-shot victory over Gary Woodland

Weather forecast Clear for the most part, with moderate breezes peaking Friday. Short showers are possible on Friday and Sunday

Type of player suited to the challenge This is a 'second-shot course', where the fairways are easy to find before challenging approaches to undulating greens, and finding the right sections of the dancefloors is the key to success. Accurate irons and sharp scrambling are the desired attributes

Key attribute Accuracy

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