The 2017-18 season kicked off last weekend with the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort where Brendan Steele successfully defended his title in Napa, CA.
This week the PGA Tour heads overseas for its three-tournament Asian Swing (Malaysia, Korea, and China). The first tournament on the docket is the CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: CIMB Classic
Golf Course: TPC Kuala Lumpur
Where: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Distance: 7055 Yards, Par 72
Purse: $7,000,000
Winner: $1,260,000
Defending Champion: Justin Thomas
Headlining the $7M Malaysian event are young superstars, and budding rivals, Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama. Other names in the CIMB Field include Steele, rookie Xander Schauffele, Paul Casey, Jhonattan Vegas, Pat Perez, Jason Dufner, and Charl Schwartzel.
As we’ll be doing each week, here are the top 25 players in the field based on recent performance.
HOW WE RANK
The point rankings are based on each player’s six most recent tournaments. Players are awarded +/- points for a Win, 2nd, 3rd, Top 10, Top 20, Top 30, Top 50, and MC. Points are scaled based on the type of event (opposite field, regular, playoff/wgc, major).
CIMB CLASSIC: PGW’S TOP 25
| PGWR | PLAYER | LAST 6 | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Thomas | 2, 47, 1, 6, 1 , 28 | 40.250 |
| 2 | Hideki Matsuyama | 26, 47, 23, MC, 5, 1 | 18.083 |
| 3 | Xander Schauffele | 1, 20, 53, 17, MC, 13 | 17.167 |
| 4 | Paul Casey | 5, 33, 4, 5, 13, 5 | 11.917 |
| 5 | Brendan Steele | 1, 44, 56, MC, MC, 24 | 8.583 |
| 6 | Ian Poulter | 11, 40, 23, 66, 22, 3 | 7.750 |
| 7 | Jhonattan Vegas | 30, 63, 65, 3, MC, 17 | 7.167 |
| 8 | Pat Perez | 16, 12, 6, 34, 28, 69 | 6.917 |
| 9 | Li Haotong | 62, 25, MC, MC, 3, 50 | 6.000 |
| 10 | Chez Reavie | 13, 12, 61, 10, 37, 22 | 6.000 |
| 11 | Charl Schwartzel | 27, 25, 29, 48, 24, 12 | 5.333 |
| 12 | Rafael Cabrera Bello | 33, 18, MC, MC, 72, 4 | 5.250 |
| 13 | Branden Grace | 47, 25, MC, MC, 28, 6 | 5.167 |
| 14 | Kevin Na | 37, 53, 6, 29, 4, MC | 4.833 |
| 15 | Hudson Swafford | 40, 13, 43, NC, 10, 32 | 4.500 |
| 16 | Adam Hadwin | 23, 40, 13, MC, MC, 5 | 4.417 |
| 17 | Jason Dufner | 20, 58, 69, 20, 14, 58 | 4.167 |
| 18 | Lucas Glover | 30, 12, 30, 40, 28, 33 | 3.750 |
| 19 | Ollie Schniederjans | 17, 66, MC, MC, 2, MC | 3.667 |
| 20 | Gary Woodland | 19, 27, 18, MC, 22, 66 | 3.667 |
| 21 | Bud Cauley | 7, 27, 47, MC, 42, 33 | 2.750 |
| 22 | Grayson Murray | 9, 51, 25, 62, MC, 22 | 2.500 |
| 23 | Kyle Stanley | 20, 47, 25, 25, MC, MC | 2.417 |
| 24 | James Hahn | 33, 75, MC, MC, 13, 10 | 2.250 |
| 25 | Thomas Pieters | 74, 66, MC, 28, 75, MC | 1.667 |
| 26 | Anirban Lahiri | 9, 56, MC, 28, 75, MC | 1.500 |
| 27 | Jamie Lovemark | 43, 33, 40, MC, 33, 22 | 1.333 |
| 28 | Emiliano Grillo | 28, 58, 22, 29, MC, MC | 0.833 |
| 29 | Scott Piercy | 17, 85, MC, MC, MC, 7 | 0.500 |
| 30 | Charles Howell III | 67, MC, 62, 73, MC, 19 | 0.000 |
