The Caddie Line: 2018 CJ Cup at Nine Bridges
The PGA Tour continues its Asian Swing this week with the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges in Korea.
Defending champion Justin Thomas headlines the 78-player field, coming off a solid T5 last week in the CIMB Classic.
We reached out to three caddies who are on the ground in Jeju Island, Korea, to find out which players we should be keeping a close eye on in the CJ Cup.
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To protect their identity, the caddies have submitted their respective picks anonymously. Here are the players they like…
Caddie 1
- Justin Thomas, “He’s playing great golf, as usual. He made a solid Ryder Cup debut a few weeks back in Paris, tied for fifth in Malaysia last week and he’s the defending champ this week. He’s a threat any time he tees it up.”
- Marc Leishman, “Marc is riding high on confidence just a few days after his fourth, career PGA Tour win. And it was impressive, too, evidenced by the five-shot margin. Confidence is everything out here and there may not be a more confident player this week than Marc.”
- Kyle Stanley, “He’s coming off a solid season in which he qualified for the Tour Championship – a goal for every Tour player. And, based on his record last season, he plays well in these events. He even showed it last week with a T13 in Malaysia. I just like his all-around game.”
Caddie 2
- Marc Leishman, “He won last week in Malaysia and he lost in a playoff here at the CJ Cup last year. He’s feeling great about his game and might also feel like he has some unfinished business on this course.”
- Justin Thomas, “Defending champion and a guy who contends week in and week out. It would be silly not to pick him.”
- Brandt Snedeker, “He’s got two starts under his belt already early in the new season – a T2 at the Safeway Open and a T66 last week at the CIMB Classic. I’m not paying much mind to last week’s finish. Brandt’s been playing well, and he’s got a great caddie on the bag.”
Caddie 3
- Marc Leishman, “Marc can bomb it. That’s always an advantage. Combine that with the confidence he brings in after a win last week and he’s someone you need to pay attention to.”
- Gary Woodland, “He had a nice 2017-18 season, which was highlighted by that win in Phoenix. Last week, he made his first start of the new season – a tie for fifth at the CIMB Classic. He’s playing well and if he has confidence with his putter, Gary can be dangerous.”
- Justin Thomas, “One of the best players in the world and he’s the defending champ. Enough said.”