Matthew NeSmith makes most of Birdies Fore Love win

The second of three legs of the Asian Swing kicks into gear in Korea as the TOUR returns to Jeju Island for the second edition of the CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Last year, Justin Thomas needed a two-hole playoff to defeat Marc Leishman in the first event. Both players are back this week and both arrive in excellent form. Leishman won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia in a cakewalk last week while Thomas closed with seven birdies and an eagle against only one bogey for a 64 and a share of fifth. A massive prize pool of $9.5 million will include a winner’s share of $1.71 million and 500 FedExCup points as 78 competitors will play 72 holes in this no-cut event. Thomas set down the marker in Round 1 in the inaugural edition last year as he opened with 63 (-9), setting the course record. His score of 9 under ended up being his 72-hole total as the winds whipped through Jeju Island during the final three rounds. The first official PGA TOUR event in Korea saw only four players post both weekend rounds in red figures as the gusty winds provided the primary defense. Those winds stymied the players and the Par-72 that only measured 7,184 yards ended up being the most difficult Par-72 in relation to par last year on TOUR. Only Shinnecock Hills (U.S. Open), PGA National (The Honda Classic) and Carnoustie (The Open Championship) played harder last season. TALES OF THE TAPE Since we only have one edition to use for reference, I’ve decided to explore the podium finishers from last year. As the numbers above illustrate, accuracy from tee-to-green was hardly a factor as wind blew golf balls all over the island. Bogeys were flying everywhere and par ended up being a decent score thanks to the difficult conditions. Smith demonstrated solid play tee-to-green that didn’t hurt his chances. But it was the putting numbers for the two leaders that jumped off the page. They didn’t find tons of fairways or greens but when they did, they obviously took advantage. There were only FOUR players who made less than 10 bogeys for the week as Rafa Cabrera-Bello led the way with seven while Pat Perez, Whee Kim and Anirban Lahiri each squared nine for the week. Perez posted the only bogey-free round of the weekend with 68 on Sunday to share fifth while Kim (solo fourth) and Lahiri (T5) also crashed the top five. Only four players broke par in both of their weekend rounds as Jamie Lovemark (68-71), Leishman (71-70), Adam Scott (70-71) and Jason Day (71-71) were the culprits. Only Scott finished outside of the top 11 as he cashed for 25th. The low round on Saturday was 67 by Byeong-Hun An while Perez’s 68 was tops in the final round. There were 24 total rounds on the weekend in red figures. An found a way to circle 24 birdies to lead the event while Leishman (21) and Thomas (19) were the next two in line and we know how they both fared. NOTE: Golfers inside the top 30-ish in each category last season. * – Finished inside the top 25 last year in the first edition. Strokes-Gained: Putting Rank  Golfer  1  *Jason Day  4  Beau Hossler  5  Alex Noren 11 Kevin Na 12 Emiliano Grillo 16 Graeme McDowell 18 Brandt Snedeker 19 Brian Gay 21 *Whee Kim 23 Billy Horschel 24 Jimmy Walker 27 *Brian Harman Birdie-or-Better Percentage Rank  Golfer  3  *Justin Thomas  6  Jason Day 11 Brooks Koepka 14 *Marc Leishman 18 *Kevin Na 19 Ryan Palmer 20 Hideki Matsuyama 22 Brian Gay 29 *Cameron Smith 30 Chesson Hadley 31 Xander Schauffele Greens in Regulation Rank  Golfer  2  Sam Ryder  3  Billy Horschel  4  Kyle Stanley  6  C.T. Pan  6  *Adam Scott  9  *Rafa Cabrera-Bello 10 Gary Woodland 15 Scott Piercy 18 Andrew Putnam 20 Jason Kokrak 27 *Charles Howell III 30 Hideki Matsuyama 33 *Justin Thomas Par-5 Scoring Rank  Golfer  3  *Justin Thomas  3  Brooks Koepka  9  *Gary Woodland  9  Billy Horschel 17 Kevin Tway 17 Bronson Burgoon 17 *Jason Day 17 Keith Mitchell 24 Paul Casey 24 Ryan Palmer 33 *Cameron Smith 33 Jason Kokrak 33 Peter Uihlein As the pros, and gamers, saw last year the wind was the biggest defender of the The Club @ Nine Bridges. If the wind isn’t a factor, I’d expect similar scoring to what we witnessed last week at TPC Kuala Lumpur as these guys will eat up 7,184 yards and four Par-5 holes. For a point of reference, Leishman played Par-5 holes last year in 12-under and was 9-under for the week. Last week during his victory on 26-under-par, Leishman played the Par-5 holes in 14-under. For my money, taking advantage of the Par-5 holes will be important again this week. K.J. Choi and Marc Leishman both noted last year that the fairways are more than generous, yet penal if you miss, and that this is a second-shot course. The tiered greens will require accurate iron play for the easier chances at birdie. The “others” will have to grind out putts on the Bentgrass greens that have plenty of undulation and will try and get up-and-down if they miss the green all together. The scrambling numbers above are hardly encouraging. There are only two Par-4 holes over 450 yards but the Par-3 holes are 175 yards or better with three checking in greater than 190 yards so that’s another level of ball-striking to be considered. Of the six toughest holes from last year, four will be on the inward nine so it’s imperative to get off to a good start. I would be remiss to leave out that Sungjae Im, the Web.com Tour’s Regular Season leading money winner from last year, grew up on Jeju Island and learned the game on this course. His first start with a TOUR card saw him pocket T4 cash at the Safeway Open two weeks ago. You can read more about Im here. Rob Bolton’s Power Rankings will give you more juice for the week so make sure you stop by. It’s also who I trust with the weather each week so pay attention!  NOTE: The groups below are comprehensive to assist in data mining. Inclusion doesn’t imply automatic endorsement in every fantasy game as all decisions are specific to your situation. I have not included ANY DATA PREVIOUS TO 2015 as not to confuse course history with event history.

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Brooks Koepka didn’t win a major Friday, but he did win bragging rights. Koepka made quick work of Bryson DeChambeau in their much-anticipated, mano-a-mano showdown from the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. RELATED: Top 5 moments in The Match’s history The Match was scheduled to go 12 holes, but Koepka needed just nine in his 4-and-3 win. Koepka birdied half of the first eight holes, DeChambeau didn’t win one and he conceded the match on the ninth hole. What’s next for this rivalry? It’s hard to say after Koepka was crowned king in Vegas. HOLE-BY-HOLE Hole No. 1 Par-4 Bryson DeChambeau handed out cupcakes on the first tee – a reference to the famous mispronunciation of Brooks Kopeka’s name – and then received a treat of his own on the opening hole. DeChambeau drove into a bush right of the fairway but got free relief because of a sprinkler system near his ball. “That’s another page out of my book,” said Phil Mickelson, who’s a commentator for today’s competition. DeChambeau hit his approach off the pine straw into a bunker but got up-and-down to match Koepka’s two-putt par. Match status: All square Hole No. 2 515 yards, par 4 Mickelson appears to be a graduate of the Tony Romo School of Broadcasting. Mickelson’s read of Koepka’s birdie putt – which Koepka could hear on the AirPod in his ear – earned Lefty a shout-out after Koepka drained the 10-footer. The birdie was good for a 1-up lead over DeChambeau who hit his approach shot into a greenside bunker on the second straight hole. Match status: Koepka, 1 up Hole No. 3 209 yards, par 3 Mickelson called it again. Koepka had the honor and, after Phil declared that Koepka’s tendency is a miss to the right, he did just that, pushing his tee shot right of the green. DeChambeau responded by knocking his tee shot close, his ball coming to rest just a few feet from the water guarding the left side of the green. Winning this hole’s closest-to-the-hole competition was worth a $50,000 donation to the charity of DeChambeau’s choice. DeChambeau misread the birdie chance, however, and he missed a bit low. We may have had out our first bit of controversy after Koepka sank a 3-footer to halve the hole, as he complained that the par putt hadn’t been conceded. Match status: Koepka, 1 up Hole No. 4 494 yards, par 4 Koepka has a case of the rights. Fortunately there was a parallel fairway for his tee shot to find. From one fairway over, Koepka hit the middle of the green. Meanwhile, DeChambeau flew the putting surface from the fairway. “That wasn’t good, guys. That wasn’t good at all,” DeChambeau told the commentators. He attributed it to the increased distance from his offseason workouts, which led Mickelson to quip, “As I lift, I find myself hitting it too hard also.” DeChambeau putted from behind the green, and the two players halved the hole in pars. Match status: Koepka, 1 up Hole No. 5 591 yards, par 5 Koepka rolled his eyes when DeChambeau said a far-off cameraman was in range off the tee. Then DeChambeau’s tee shot almost took him out on the fly. Mickelson called the big blast “so attractive.” Koepka, who nearly drove into the water, hit his second shot into the heart of the green, while DeChambeau was once again unable to take advantage of being in a better position off the tee. His second shot hit a tree and fell short of the green. DeChambeau failed to get up-and-down and Koepka two-putted for his second birdie of the day to go 2 up. Match status: Koepka, 2 up Hole No. 6 161 yards, par 3 Brooks went straight at it on this short par-3. Bryson used a slope past the hole, but sucked it too far back. Increased clubhead speed means more spin, DeChambeau moaned after watching his ball roll past the hole. By winning closest to the pin, Koepka had 500,000 meals donated to Feeding America on his behalf. DeChambeau misread another putt, opening the door for Koepka to take a 3-up lead at the match’s halfway point. Koepka’s 11-foot birdie putt went straight in the heart. His third birdie of the day meant a 3-up lead. “It’s the only sport they let you drink while playing it and there’s a reason why,” Barkley said. DeChambeau may need a cold glass of chocolate milk after losing half of the first six holes. Match status: Koepka, 3 up Hole No. 7 442 yards, par 4 The hole was halved with a generous gesture from Koepka, who gave DeChambeau a tricky par putt to halve the hole. Bryson had an opportunity to win his first hole of the day but blasted his 9-foot birdie putt through the break. Before the missed opportunity, DeChambeau seemed to be turning things around after a pep talk from Phil, with whom he bonded at the Ryder Cup. “Get your brain in theta,” Mickelson told DeChambeau before he hit his tee shot. What was he referring to? Brain waves, of course. DeChambeau described it as “that sweet spot between sympathetic and parasympathetic.” In layman’s terms, DeChambeau said he was trying to enter a flow state. Among the other hot takes – unrelated to anything happening on the course – Barkley declared that yoga is just stretching with a fancy name “so they can charge you more.” Match status: Koepka, 3 up Hole No. 8 464 yards, par 4 Koepka started the hole by telling a tale about how his caddie almost lost the U.S. Open trophy in Las Vegas. Then he all but locked this thing up. “You lost me at U.S. Open trophy,” joked Mickelson, who’s won every major but his national championship. Koepka trusts Ricky Elliott with his clubs, but Koepka’s longtime caddie left one of golf’s greatest prizes outside his hotel room overnight, forgetting to bring the trophy inside after he put it down to pull out his room key. A 4-foot birdie putt gave Koepka a 4-up lead with four holes remaining. And the best trash talking has taken place not between the two contestants but Koepka and Mickelson. Koepka gave Mickelson grief about his pre-match prediction of a DeChambeau win, to which Mickelson replied, “Let me tell you about the PGA Championship.” Mickelson beat Koepka at Kiawah Island this year en route to becoming the oldest winner in major championship history. Match status: Koepka, 4 up Hole No. 9 172 yards, par 3 It was scheduled to be 12 holes. Koepka needed just nine. A conceded birdie gave Koepka the victory. He’d hit his tee shot to 10 feet, and DeChambeau told him to pick it up after missing his own putt from long range. And it ended right after DeChambeau’s best attempt at trash talk. Unfortunately, it was too little too late. “Where is this on the PGA TOUR?” DeChambeau asked after Koepka hit his tee shot. Koepka, of course, has missed his last two cuts and finished no better than T38 in four starts this season. He is known for summoning his best at the biggest moments, and a match against his rival fit that mold. “It’s kind of like my major right now,” Koepka said of The Match. “I’m not going to lie. I just wanted to spank him.” He did. DeChambeau didn’t win a hole against Koepka. Match status: Koepka wins

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