Sleeper picks: CIMB Classic

C.T. Pan … The native of nearby Taiwan has begun to bloom as a professional. He polished off his sophomore season on the PGA TOUR with six top 20s in his last 11 starts, including a co-runner-up finish at the Wyndham and a T4 at the Dell Technologies, and shed nearly three-quarters of one stroke off his adjusted scoring over that stretch. His tee-to-green game improved and became a reliable weapon no matter the challenge. Put four red numbers together for a T17 in his debut at TPC Kuala Lumpur last year. John Catlin … Qualified for the CIMB Classic when he secured a two-stroke victory at the Yeangder TPC in Taiwan on Sunday. With it, he became just the fifth in the circuit’s history to prevail three times in a single season. He also has a pair of victories on the Asian Development Tour. His only PGA TOUR-sanctioned experience occurred on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada in 2014-2016 when he recorded six top 10s in 31 events. He’s a former standout both in the classroom and on the course at the University of New Mexico where 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Gavin Green was a teammate. Catlin, 27, currently lives in Thailand. Thomas Pieters … Quite a bit has changed in the last 12 months. For starters, he’s no longer a PGA TOUR member. When it became evident that he wasn’t going to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs without a summertime surge, the Belgian cut his losses and redirected his focus to his home circuit. He reconnected with some form, including a T6 a the PGA Championship, but he totaled only 11 TOUR starts and finished 154th in the FedExCup. At this time last year, he also was inside the top 35 of the Official World Golf Ranking. Today, he’s 69th. A third-round 77 at TPC Kuala Lumpur last year stained an otherwise strong effort en route to a T44, but he should devour the four par 5s on this short par 72. Justin Harding … The 32-year-old from South Africa focused on his native Sunshine Tour for the first six months of 2018. With two late wins highlighting five top-six finishes early in the new wraparound season, he’s currently atop its Order of Merit. After a month off, he splashed onto the Asian Tour in mid-July with victories in his first two starts. He’s added top 10s in his last three to gain entry into the CIMB Classic via the circuit’s money list. Currently 93rd in the Official World Golf Ranking, this will mark his first PGA TOUR start in a non-major. Tom Hoge … The 29-year-old opened his fifth season with status on the PGA TOUR – and first north of the reshuffle – with a T17 at Silverado. It’s his second top 20 in four starts (T20, Wyndham). He won’t fill up the box score despite his penchant to assume the role of a scorer. His strength is around the greens. That frees him up to attack pins, especially when 20-under is in play. On shorter tracks like TPC Kuala Lumpur where he’s getting his first look, the setup feeds into his wheelhouse. While he’ll also pop on longer tests, those are bonuses by comparison.

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