Hideki Matsuyama aims to defend his title on home soil when the PGA Tour returns to Japan for the fourth playing of the ZOZO Championship. Big names have dominated the brief history of this tournament with Tiger Woods securing his most recent title in 2019 and Patrick Cantlay hoisting the trophy a year later. The 2020 edition was moved stateside due to COVID restrictions. On its return to Japanese soil last year, Matsuyama posted a five shot victory. Oddsmakers have Xander Schauffele pegged as the outright favorite with Sungjae Im and Matsuyama close behind on the odds board. The field is limited to 78 players with a number of Japan’s finest competing with the event co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour Organization. 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
Xander Schauffele -119 vs. Sungjae Im -101
Xander Schauffele -150 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +125
Sungjae Im -142 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +118
Viktor Hovland +106 vs. Collin Morikawa -127
Viktor Hovland +115 vs. Cameron Young -138
Collin Morikawa +100 vs. Cameron Young -120
Tom Kim -119 vs. Tyrrell Hatton -101
Tom Kim -144 vs. Tommy Fleetwood +120
Tyrrell Hatton -120 vs. Tommy Fleetwood +100
Corey Conners -117 vs. Keegan Bradley -103
Maverick McNealy -120 vs. Tom Hoge +100
Sebastian Munoz -110 vs. Scott Stallings -110
Mito Pereira -110 vs. Si Woo Kim -110
Cam Davis -132 vs. Sahith Theegala +110
Emiliano Grillo +100 vs. Davis Riley -120
Lucas Herbert -120 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout +100
Mackenzie Hughes -102 vs. Sepp Straka -118
K.H. Lee -120 vs. Kurt Kitayama +100
Matthew NeSmith -120 vs. Mark Hubbard +100
JJ Spaun +103 vs. Rickie Fowler -123
Taylor Moore +105 vs. Andrew Putnam -125
Aaron Rai -140 vs. Matt Wallace +117
Wyndham Clark -135 vs. Kevin Streelman +113
Troy Merritt +100 vs. Luke List -120
Cameron Champ +107 vs. Beau Hossler -128
Patrick Rodgers -110 vs. Brendan Steele -110
Stephan Jaeger -105 vs. Alex Smalley -115
Adam Schenk -120 vs. Adam Svensson +100
Joel Dahmen -110 vs. Adam Long -110
Hayden Buckley -127 vs. Lee Hodges +106
Dylan Frittelli -132 vs. David Lipsky +110
CT Pan -105 vs. Brandon Wu -115
Riki Kawamoto +125 vs. Rikuya Hoshino -150
Kazuki Higa -120 vs. Takumi Kanaya +100
Martin Laird -120 vs. Russell Knox +100
Need to Know
The Championship Course at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club has hosted all three tournaments on the island. The traditional Japanese style layout had some length added since last year’s playing and features tree-lined fairways and several doglegs but otherwise is a straight forward track that still plays a short 7,079 yards at par 70. The field will consist of up to 78 golfers with several exemptions for JGTO members. The limited field also means no cut so every golfer is guaranteed four rounds. Every hole on the course has two greens, which might confuse some viewers not familiar with this design. Hopefully the players don’t get confused, but they are allowed a free drop should they pinpoint the wrong landing spot.
ZOZO Championship Matchup Picks
Xander Schauffele -119 vs. Sungjae Im
He closed last season as one of the hottest players on Tour then helped Team USA win the Presidents Cup with a 3-1-0 record. He’s familiar with the surrounding having competed in both tournaments at Narashino, though the results weren’t up to his standards. There is something about Japan that sparks the X-man, though, as evidenced by his gold medal in last year’s Tokyo Olympics. And don’t think the lack of work is going to affect him.
Collin Morikawa +100 vs. Cameron Young
Another Presidents Cup winner with plenty of rest heading into the tournament is Morikawa. Surprisingly he didn’t win a tournament last season so you could say he’s due. He came close with a couple of runners-up and eight top-10s and he’s familiar with the layout posting a T22 in his 2019 debut and following up with a T7 last year. At even money he’s too good to pass up.
Tom Kim -119 vs. Tyrrell Hatton
I’m going to jump on the Kim bandwagon and back him in this matchup. It’s just hard not to after seeing what the man has accomplished. He won for the second time in four starts carding a 24-under in Vegas to win the Shriners just a few months after capturing the Wyndham Championship. The guy has been absolutely nails and there are no evident flaws in his game. He’s not going to win every week, but it seems like he’ll be in contention more times than not.
Keegan Bradley -103 vs. Corey Conners
He’s been a consistent player his entire career flying just below the radar, but Bradley is due for a big season after sticking with it through some trying times. Six of his nine top-25s last season put him among the top-10 and he opened this season with another strong outing earning a top-5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship. He’s been solid on this track as well with a pair of top-15s in two starts giving me the confidence to back him in this matchup.
Sepp Straka -118 vs. Mackenzie Hughes
Straka finds himself in a much different place than 12 months earlier. Entering this event last year he was barely inside the top-200 on the OWGR and finished near the bottom with a T66. He caught fire toward the end of last season and continued that run a few weeks ago in Jackson with his second playoff setback in four starts. As demoralizing as those runner-up finishes are Straka finds himself 26th in the world rankings playing the best golf of his career.
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