The Asian swing of the PGA Tour continues this week with a stop in Japan for the inaugural ZOZO Championship. A world-class field of players will tee it up at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba. FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy headlines the field and is joined at the top of the individual odds board at offshore sportsbooks by last week’s titlist Justin Thomas. Creating a buzz whenever he hits the links, Tiger Woods is set to make his season debut and local star Hideki Matsuyama is included in the field. The limited field of up to 78 golfers will all play 72 holes making for some interesting matchup selections. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
ZOZO Championship Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Adam Hadwin -120 vs. Ryan Moore +100
Rory Sabbatini -120 vs. Ryan Palmer -110
Abraham Ancer -135 vs. Danny Lee +105
Daniel Berger -110 vs. Harold Varner III -120
Jordan Spieth +130 vs. Paul Casey -150
Paul Casey -115 vs. Xander Schauffele -105
Kevin Na -105 vs. Shane Lowry -115
Emiliano Grillo -115 vs. Kevin Kisner -105
Ian Poulter -120 vs. Chez Reavie +100
Charles Howell III -135 vs. Pat Perez +105
Scott Piercy -110 vs. Si Woo Kim -120
Billy Horschel -120 vs. Andrew Putnam +100
Lucas Glover -115 vs. Corey Conners -105
Jason Kokrak -135 vs. Matthew Wolff +105
Tony Finau -120 vs. Gary Woodland +100
Tony Finau -125 vs. Patrick Reed +105
Gary Woodland -105 vs. Patrick Reed -115
Jason Day -130 vs. Sungjae Im +110
Dylan Frittelli -135 vs. Graeme McDowell +105
Adam Scott -115 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -105
Adam Scott -150 vs. Tiger Woods +130
Tommy Fleetwood -135 vs. Tiger Woods +115
Sergio Garcia +105 vs. Byeong Hun An -125
Bubba Watson -120 vs. Chan Kim -110
Rafa Cabrera-Bello -110 vs. Marc Leishman -110
Kevin Streelman -135 vs. Ryo Ishikawa +105
Viktor Hovland -130 vs. Collin Morikawa +110
Viktor Hovland -140 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick +120
Collin Morikawa -120 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick +100
Justin Thomas -165 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +145
Rory McIlroy -155 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +135
Jordan Spieth +110 vs. Xander Schauffele -130
Joaquin Niemann -105 vs. Louis Oosthuizen -115
Justin Thomas -125 vs. Rory McIlroy +105
J.T. Poston -120 vs. Joel Dahmen -110
Need to Know
This is a new event on the Tour schedule, taking the place of the CIMB Classic. The Championship Course at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club will serve as host and plays a light 7,041 yards at par 70. It’s a traditional Japanese style layout with tree-lined fairways and a straight-forward approach. Another custom is having two greens, which might confuse some viewers not familiar with this layout. Hopefully the players don’t get confused, but they are allowed a free drop should they pinpoint the wrong landing spot. Those not familiar with the course got a glimpse over the weekend with the Japan Skins Challenge, an event won by Jason Day. Woods, McIlroy and Matsuyama all got a chance to preview the layout, but will that benefit them this weekend? It was an off week on my matchup picks at the CJ Cup with just one win. However, I did pick two players that withdrew, so I only went 1-2 and remain in the red in the early part of the season.
ZOZO Championship Matchup Picks
Adam Hadwin -120 vs. Ryan Moore
A couple of top-5s in his opening two events of the season put Hadwin at the top of his game making him difficult to overlook in any matchup. Golf is such a psychological sport and Hadwin is in a good spot following a solo second in Napa followed by a T4 in Las Vegas. He’s beaming with confidence after going 36-under in those two tourneys with a scoring average of 67 and no round higher than 70. Of course, it could all come tumbling down this week but I don’t think it will and I’ll ride Hadwin as long as this heater continues.
Xander Schauffele -105 vs. Paul Casey
Maybe it’s not having to worry about a clunker in the first two rounds, but for whatever reason the X-man performs well in these no-cut events so he gets some points right off the bat. Oh, and he’s done quite well in cut tournaments, too. He has several big wins under his belt already in his young career, so the field should be afraid of him instead of the other way around. Over his last six tournaments his been ranked among the best in strokes gained off the tee and on approach, which are solid metrics to have on this layout.
Tony Finau -120 vs. Gary Woodland
If only he can get a few putts to drop Finau could run away with this thing. He opened the season with a T9 at the Shriners when the flat stick didn’t cooperate. With his metrics, imagine what could happen if it did. Finau led the field in Vegas in strokes gained: tee to green. He’s always been able to smack the ball and he had one of the best scoring averages on Tour last season. This is a difficult matchup, but I like Finau to iron out the kinks with his putter.
Tommy Fleetwood -135 vs. Tiger Woods
Tiger got greased up for this event in the Skins game while also getting a lay of the land. However, while he looked good last weekend, it’s a different story in a tournament environment. It’s never easy to bet against Woods, but I’m not convinced he’s ready after a horrible end to last season and surgery on his knee. Therefore, I’m sticking with a reliable source in Fleetwood.
Hideki Matsuyama +145 vs. Justin Thomas
For obvious reasons I really wanted to side with the local hero in a matchup but my choices were limited. I’m sticking with Matsuyama in a matchup against Thomas because winning back to back tournaments is tough to do. Hideki is no slouch being the top-ranked player among the host nation’s group, and he’s coming off a T3 at the CJ Cup. Plus, his experience on this layout is worth something.
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