Even if you’re a weekly gamer, reminders never hurt. You’re busy and life gets in the way. Be advised that THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES commences on Thursday at 7:45 a.m. local time in South Korea. Adjusted to the U.S., that’s 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday on the East Coast, 3:45 p.m. on the West Coast and 12:45 p.m. in Hawaii. Most if not all lineup deadlines will align with the start. As the data is gathered in the context of the new fantasy scoring in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO, one expectation already has been confirmed. The easier the golf course, the higher the fantasy scoring. After SC Lamas paced all gamers with 798 points at the Safeway Open for which ShotLink was active, ShanksMO led the way at the CIMB Classic with 840 points despite the absence of ShotLink. Now, ShotLink affects only the handful of measured achievements, but it still accounted for roughly 10-15 percent of total scoring at Silverado. Defended by the wind in its debut a year ago, Nine Bridges averaged 1.187 strokes over par – and it’s a par 72. Justin Thomas and Marc Leishman squared off in a playoff after each concluded 72 holes at just 9-under. Whether the wind will play as significant a role this week remains to be seen – it could but it shouldn’t be as bad – but without ShotLink, THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES presents an apples-to-apples comparison to the CIMB Classic. The individual fantasy leaderboard at TPC Kuala Lumpur resembled the actual as Leishman’s 242 points overall placed No. 1. Gary Woodland (236), Kevin Chappell (234), Charles Howell III (227) and Justin Thomas (226) rounded out the top five in fantasy and each finished inside the top 10 in the tournament proper. With fewer par breakers forecast at Nine Bridges, the fantasy leaders aren’t expected to challenge those totals. PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO My roster for THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES (in alphabetical order): Paul Casey Tyrrell Hatton Brooks Koepka Marc Leishman Hideki Matsuyama Justin Thomas You’ll find my starters in Expert Picks. Others to consider for each category (in alphabetical order): Scoring: Austin Cook; Jason Day; Emiliano Grillo; Billy Horschel; Jason Kokrak; Keith Mitchell; Kevin Na; Gary Woodland Driving: Byeong Hun An; Brice Garnett; Emiliano Grillo; Billy Horschel; Charles Howell III; Keith Mitchell; Kyle Stanley; Gary Woodland Power Rankings Wild Card Ian Poulter … Once he was cemented on the Ryder Cup squad, his focus shifted to the competition to which he’ll forever be attached, so his Playoffs fade is forgivable. As he returns to action to warm for the conclusion of the European Tour season, the challenge of Nine Bridges projects to bring the best out of him. Pieced together a well-balanced attack for a T15 last year. Draws Brandt Snedeker … He’s a proven winner in all conditions, but if Nine Bridges challenges as it did in its foray, the short-game artist will factor. He’s all but sold his soul on approach for world-class touch, and that was Justin Thomas’ formula for victory last year. In the last four months, Sneds has a win, a T2 (just two weeks ago at Silverado where he held the 36- and 54-hole leads) and another three top 10s. Si Woo Kim … If the Seoul native carries his strong putting performance that yielded a T10 at TPC Kuala Lumpur to Nine Bridges where putting was at a premium in its first spin, he’s going to contend. If there’s a cause for a pause, it’s that he hasn’t connected top-15 finishes on the PGA TOUR in two years. Billy Horschel … Keep the faith. One sideways round of 73 at TPC Kuala Lumpur (where he finished T33) is acceptable when we’re planning for what’s directly in front of us. He’s making his first appearance at Nine Bridges with four top-three finishes in the last three months. He’ll also be engaged with the quality of the test. Charl Schwartzel … While he doesn’t contend as often as we’d prefer, he still fares well on tough tracks. Shuffle a few shares his way in DFS. He finished T28 here last year, so he knows the course. Stewart Cink Austin Cook Charles Howell III Kevin Na Xander Schauffele Fades Adam Scott … Even if he leads the field in ball-striking, Nine Bridges’ greens proved to be ultra-stingy in last year’s wind. Since putting has been his bane, a 25th-place finish a year ago is as good as reasonably can be expected. Gamers don’t worry too much about his form upon arrival because he’ll ride the pendulum to either side without much fuss, but it still doesn’t help that he enters without a top-45 finish in his last three starts worldwide. Kevin Tway … With a T27 at the CIMB Classic, he afforded himself predictably well in the aftermath of his breakthrough victory at the Safeway Open, but we can’t rule out the influence of that adrenaline. Another week on and the concern for a letdown amplifies. Rafa Cabrera Bello … He rarely lets us down so this is relative as he has just one top-40 finish in his last three starts worldwide. Led last year’s field in greens hit and ranked second in scrambling and still settled for a T11 due to cold putting. With no cut and that mild success, he’s an ideal contrarian in every format. Kevin Chappell … Given his profile as a tee-to-green specialist, the severity of the wind will reveal his value with longer clubs or expose his weakness on the greens. A T10 at the CIMB Classic sets him up as a trap, not to mention that he was just his second top 25 in seven months, but any wind could give him fits with the putter. Alex Noren … First action since going 2-1-0 in his Ryder Cup debut. Perhaps the convincing victory in France will inject life into his game that has sputtered since he won at Le Golf National during the summer. Use this as an opportunity to observe in advance of next week’s WGC in China. Branden Grace Brian Harman Pat Perez Brendan Steele Peter Uihlein Jimmy Walker Returning to Competition None. Notable WDs Andrew Landry … Second consecutive tournament from which he’s withdrawn after the commitment deadline and before it started, but we could see this week’s coming. As a reminder, here’s an excerpt of what he tweeted on Oct. 7: “Looking forward to going home and getting healthy and spending some much needed time with the family.” Power Rankings Recap – CIMB Classic Power Ranking  Golfer  Result 1  Justin Thomas  T5 2  Ryan Moore  T66 3  Brandt Snedeker  T66 4  Xander Schauffele  25th 5  Cameron Smith  T22 6  Billy Horschel  T33 7  Rafa Cabrera Bello  T50 8  Paul Casey  T13 9  Gary Woodland  T5 10  Keegan Bradley  T19 11  Marc Leishman  Win 12  Danny Lee  T33 13  Kyle Stanley  T13 14  Stewart Cink  T13 15  Kevin Tway  T27 Wild Card  Pat Perez  T63 Sleepers Recap – CIMB Classic Golfer  Result John Catlin  T22 Justin Harding  T43 Tom Hoge  T63 C.T. Pan  T30 Thomas Pieters  T30 Birthdays among active golfers on the PGA TOUR October 16 … Ryan Blaum (35) October 17 … Ernie Els (49) October 18 … none October 19 … Louis Oosthuizen (36) October 20 … none October 21 … none October 22 … none

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The colorful Miller is retiring after three decades calling golf for NBC — his last tournament will be the Phoenix Open in early 2019.

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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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Marc Leishman is as Australian as they come but some Korean golfing roots have him primed to springboard off last week’s win at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES. Fresh off a dominant display at the CIMB Classic where he won by five shots, the now four-time PGA TOUR winner returns to Jeju Island in South Korea a year after losing a playoff against Justin Thomas. While some of those in the field have limited experience with Korean culture, Leishman is not one of them. He played on the Korean Tour in 2006, three years before he would become the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year. A win there catapulted his career forward and more importantly boosted his confidence to a new level. He also grew up fast, looking after himself in a strange foreign land where he didn’t speak the language. “I would just point at something and that’s what I would eat. That was probably the hardest thing for someone like me, who likes food,â€� Leishman said. “Playing in the Korean Tour did help me. Playing on courses that are so narrow really teaches you to hit the ball straighter and handle the pressure. Obviously, winning golf tournaments, which I managed to win one up here, was a great memory and a really good experience for me.â€� While the win last week has the affable Aussie relaxed, the memory of his loss to Thomas last year, where he found the water on the second playoff hole, is certainly driving him forward. Especially as the runner-up finish did not translate to further success. While he had won twice in the 2016-17 season, last season turned out winless although still successful enough to make the TOUR Championship. That goal isn’t enough for him anymore. He wants to win the FedExCup and will have a chance to take hold of the top spot early on this season with a good effort this week. He currently sits just 31 points behind Safeway Open winner Kevin Tway. “Getting off to such a good start to the year obviously here and up until probably the (AT&T) Byron Nelson I played really well and then I kind of cooled off a little bit, so that was a little frustrating,â€� he said of last season. “It was certainly a goal of mine to win this season and to win my first event of the year is great.â€� The win allows Leishman to “focus more on winning for the rest of the seasonâ€� and opens up a return to Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Champions … a clear favorite time of year for the entire Leishman family. He also now leads the International Team standings for the Presidents Cup to be held in his native Australia next year. Leishman is desperate to play under his childhood idol Ernie Els in his hometown of Melbourne. The win in Malaysia was built off some stellar putting (he needed just 102 putts for the week) but also a dialed in approach game. He intends to try to ride the momentum. “The difference was I was hitting it a lot closer to the hole,â€� Leishman said of his CIMB Classic efforts. “I know I had very few putts, I only had 25, 26 putts a round, but I think if we had strokes gained putting last week, it wouldn’t have been as impressive as the iron play numbers. “I had a lot of birdie putts from 8 foot and in, which is nice when you’re feeling good over the putter. Hoping I can continue that trend. “Hopefully, I can play well again and do one better than last year.â€�

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After 29 years in the booth, NBC analyst Johnny Miller will retire after the Waste Management Phoenix Open in February. He will be replaced by Paul Azinger, a source told ESPN.

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