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2019 PGA Tour CJ Cup at Nine Bridges Odds & Picks

Michael Harrison

by Michael Harrison in Golf

Updated Apr 8, 2020 · 4:50 PM PDT

Brooks Koepka sizing up a putt
Brooks Koepka is back to defend his title at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges. Photo from @GolfDigest (Twitter).
  • The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges tees off Thursday, October 17th
  • Between Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas, who should you be wagering on?
  • The golfers with the best value to emerge victorious

Given that the tournament has only been on the PGA Tour calendar for two years, the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges from South Korea has boasted two world-class champions with Justin Thomas claiming the first title and Brooks Koepka lifting the trophy last year.

This is the first event of a three-event swing in Asia with the subsequent tournaments being the inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan and the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. It has a limited field compared to most tournaments that have 156 golfers with just half of the players teeing it up in this event.

2019 CJ Cup at Nine Bridges Odds

Golfer Odds at Sportsbook 1 Odds at Sportsbook 2
Justin Thomas +650 +700
Brooks Koepka +800 +700
Hideki Matsuyama +1800 +1400
Tommy Fleetwood +2000 +2000
Viktor Hovland +2000 +2000
Jordan Spieth +2200 +2000
Collin Morikawa +2200 +2500
Jason Day +2500 +2200
Gary Woodland +2500 +2500
Sungjae Im +2500 +2500

Odds as of 10/14/19.

Brooks Koepka too Inconsistent to Back

It obviously goes without saying that defending champion and world #1 Brooks Koepka has a strong chance to win on this golf course again – however, the problem is his odds are so low and his penchant for not competing in “lesser tournaments” outside of the majors.

Koepka comes off a missed cut two weeks ago in his 2019-20 season debut in Las Vegas, but which Koepka will show up in South Korea? The one that annihilates golf courses at will or the golfer that’s disinterested en route to a poor showing?

He’s too hit and miss, and at +700 odds, I’d steer clear simply because the value isn’t there.

Justin Thomas Better Suited for Victory

Forced to pick between the two, Justin Thomas is the safer option, given that he’s been fantastic in his last seven worldwide starts. He picked up one victory in that span (BMW Championship) and doesn’t have anything worse than a 12th place result. Thomas is the clearer cut option to be wagered on for this event.

Justin Thomas’ Last Seven Tournaments

Tournament Result
Safeway Open T-4th
Tour Championship T-3rd
BMW Championship WIN
The Northern Trust T-12th
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational T-12th
The Open Championship T-11th
The Scottish Open T-9th

2019 CJ Cup at Nine Bridges Best Value Picks

  1. Sungjae Im (+2500): 2018-19 rookie of the year destined to finally get breakthrough victory. What better place to do it on home soil? Already has a second place finish in 2019-20 season (Sanderson Farms) and had three other top-four results during rookie campaign.
  2. Kevin Na (+4000): The PGA Tour’s Rodney Dangerfield gets no respect! Has three victories in last 30 starts, including the latest one in Vegas. Extremely motivated to earn spot on Presidents Cup team and a W would likely make that a certainty.
  3. Si Woo Kim (+10000): Deep dive with big upside, especially with these long odds with half the regular field competing. Either plays great or poorly with little in between (16 made cuts last season, 12 missed). 2017 Players Champion has been spotty since August but these odds are too good to pass up.
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