Quick look at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES

THE OVERVIEW It is said to be high enough to pull the universe, houses the oldest Buddhist temple on Jeju Island, and features five hiking trails. But for players at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES, the inaugural PGA TOUR event in South Korea this week, there’s just one important thing to know about Halla Mountain, which is also known by Hallasan, among its many other names. It affects the way the greens play. “The whole golf course is on this side of the big mountain, sometimes it can look flat but really everything is still going down the mountain,â€� Adam Scott said. “So you just have to be a little bit aware of where down the mountain is. Sometimes it looks flat but it might be faster, sometimes it might be slower because you might be putting back up the mountain. It’s going to play a little part this week.â€� As we were reminded most recently at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National, golf courses can be built on all sorts of land — even an old dump. But if the Nine Bridges course can be readily compared to anything, it might be Kapalua, which hosts the Sentry Tournament of Champions and is also built into the side of a mountain. At its highest, Mount Halla measures 6,400 feet. Some have made it an object of worship, contending that gods and spirits live on it. That’s debatable, but what does live on it is a par-72, 7,196-yard course, with “rolling topographyâ€� (Golf Magazine) and closely mown runoff areas. It is legendary for its views, but even so it’s the challenge of the putting that is getting the most attention. Players have no institutional knowledge of the place, and are learning the lay of the land as fast as they can.    “The greens have a lot of slope on them,â€� FedExCup champion Justin Thomas said. “The greens are very big as well, so the slope can play a big factor and a big role in how you are going to play the course, if you want to use some of the slopes to get close to the holes, or if you want to use some to get into the spot where you want to putt from. But the hardest part is that you just have to play smart. You can’t be too aggressive and short sight yourself or have the putt above the hole.  “You want to try to leave it below the hole and have as many makeable putts with as little break as possible that you can out there.â€� Jason Day wasn’t as worried about the putting as he was everything else. “I actually asked the local caddie if there is a mountain break, and she said, ‘There’s a little bit but not much,’â€� Day said. “Saying that, we are at elevation of, I think Jeju is at the highest 6,000 feet, and I think the golf course is at 2,000 feet. When you have an elevation change of about 2,000 feet from sea level, you probably have zero to five yards in distance change and in how much farther you will hit it. “That’s one thing that we have to tackle this week. There’s a lot of elevation change from tee to green, or second shot into the green, so with that you will have to be wary as well.â€� THREE PLAYERS TO PONDER 1. K.J. Choi: Korea’s most successful male golfer is making his first appearance at Nine Bridges. Expect big galleries. 2. Justin Thomas: The FedExCup champ started his new campaign with a T17 last week. He’s just getting cranked up. 3. Pat Perez: Broke into the world’s top 20 players with last week’s win at the CIMB Classic. Wonder if he’s still celebrating. THE FLYOVER The 353-yard 14th is the shortest par 4 on the back nine and should offer players a chance to drive the green. “It’s possible to have an eagle chance, but there’s some danger to doing that,â€� said Adam Scott. “The right-hand side bunker has severe penalties. It’s always a question of risk and reward. If it’s not too windy and you’re playing well, I think it’s a good opportunity to attack.â€� Justin Thomas is looking forward to it. “That’s a hole that could create a little bit of drama,â€� he said. WEATHER CHECK When the LPGA played at Jeju Island more than a decade ago, the weather was a big factor several years. Cold temperatures and brutal wind made an impact. While wind will likely be a factor this week, it shouldn’t be extreme. PGA TOUR meteorologist Stewart Williams forecasts partly to mostly sunny skies each day. “Temperatures will remain cool, especially in the mornings,â€� reports Williams. “Otherwise, Typhoon Lan is expected to pass just east of Japan on Sunday. This may produce isolated showers and windy conditions across Jeju Sunday afternoon.â€� For the latest weather news from Jeju Island, Korea, check out PGATOUR.COM’s Weather Hub. SOUND CHECK If it’s tough, I could see 8- to 12-under winning. If it’s pretty calm, it could be something around 16- to 20-under. Like I said, I’m pretty bad at that so I wouldn’t go off with what I said. ODDS AND ENDS 1. 17 FAN FAVORITES. Seventeen Koreans are among the 78 players in the field, including reigning THE PLAYERS champion Si Woo Kim, who is sponsored by CJ, this week’s title sponsor. “I always want to do well in any event that I take part in,â€� Kim said. “But this event is a little bit more special for me, so yes, I do feel a little bit more pressure.â€� 2. HE KNOWS JEJU. Graeme McDowell should be worth keeping an eye on this week, particularly because he’s one of the few non-Korean players who have enjoyed success on Jeju Island. McDowell won the European Tour’s Ballentine’s Championship in 2008 at Pinx Golf Club, which is close to Nine Bridges. “Nice to be back in this part of the world,â€� McDowell said. 3. DIFFERENT FEEL. Marc Leishman has playing experience on Korean courses – he was a member of the International Team at the 2015 Presidents Cup outside Seoul – but this is his first look at Nine Bridges. “The course is very good,â€� he said. “It’s different than a lot of other Korean courses I’ve played. It’s a lot more generous off the tee, a lot wider. Greens are very good. It’s important to get it on the right section of the green. It’s a beautiful golf course.â€�

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