The brief history of the ZOZO Championship has been exciting with big name players topping the field. Tiger Woods won the inaugural title in 2019 with Patrick Cantlay prevailing a year later, though the tournament was moved to Southern California due to COVID restrictions. Last year a return to Japan saw native son Hideki Matsuyama emerge with a five-swing victory. Matsuyama is included among the favorites but he’s not THE favorite. Xander Schauffele opened as the top dog on the odds board followed by Sungjae Im with Matsuyama third on the outright list. Co-sanctioned again by the Japan Golf Tour Organization there will be as many as 12 JGTO members in the 78-player, no-cut field pegging it up at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win ZOZO Championship
Xander Schauffele +800
Sungjae Im +1000
Hideki Matsuyama +1200
Cameron Young +1400
Collin Morikawa +1400
Tom Kim +1400
Viktor Hovland +2200
Tyrrell Hatton +2500
Corey Conners +2800
Tommy Fleetwood +2800
Si Woo Kim +3000
Keegan Bradley +3300
Mito Pereira +3300
Tom Hoge +3500
Cameron Davis +4000
Maverick McNealey +4000
Sahith Theegala +4000
Scott Stallings +4500
Sebastian Munoz +4500
Sepp Straka +4500
Lucas Herbert +5000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +5500
Davis Riley +5500
Kyoung-Hoon Lee +5500
Matthew Nesmith +5500
Emiliano Grillo +6000
Kurt Kitayama +7000
Mackenzie Hughes +7000
Mark Hubbard +7500
Rickie Fowler +8000
Wyndham Clark +8000
Andrew Putnam +8500
J.J. Spaun +8500
Taylor Moore +8500
Odds Analysis
Corey Conners +2800
It was a strong last season for the Canadian finishing among the top-25 in nearly half of his 25 starts, and this is the type of field that can lead to better things for Conners. He had some much needed down time after his MC in Napa followed by the Presidents Cup and I expect he’ll pick up where he left off. His game fits the layout with deadly accurate approach shots earning him a sixth place finish when he last played Narashino in 2019.
Hideki Matsuyama +1200
In this price range last year when he emerged as a five-shot winner, Matsuyama is no stranger to successfully defending a title doing so at the Phoenix Open in 2016 and 2017. There are some good golfers at the top of the odds board with Matsuyama standing out as the hometown (country) hero. And he’s been sound in this event in two playings at Narashino finishing as runner-up to Tiger Woods in 2019. Dealing with nagging injuries last season led to a subpar year however he appears in good health at the right time.
Xander Schauffele +800
I typically stay away from the favorite though it’s hard to ignore Schauffele. He finished last season on a massive heater and his last trip to Japan resulted in a gold medal at the Olympics. He’s making his season debut, though the sterling 3-1-0 record at the Presidents Cup proves the down time shouldn’t be an issue. The X-man is also familiar with the track having competed in both tournaments at Narashino with a top-10 in 2019 while closing at 4-under over the final 36 holes in 2021.
Sepp Straka +4500
It’s been a whirlwind year for Straka who finds himself in a much different position now than where he was before this tournament 12 months ago. He finished T66 here last year and was barely inside the top-200 in the OWGR. He ended the season on a roll with a playoff loss in the FedEx St. Jude Championship ending a string of six straight MCs and closed with a T7 at the TOUR Championship. He began this season with another playoff setback at the Sanderson Farms giving him more incentive to finish things off in regulation.
Sahith Theegala +4000
After making a run for rookie of the year honors last season Theegala has dropped off the radar a bit. He stumbled a few weeks ago with a MC at the Sanderson Farms, though that takes nothing away from what he accomplished finishing among the top-10 five times last year. He added to that total with a T6 at the Fortinet Championship last month with that maiden Tour victory seemingly within reach. He’s priced right for that to happen.
Course: Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club – 7,079 yards, Par 70
The field will attack the Championship Course at the club, which is one of two on the property. About 40 yards were added to the length increasing the distance to 7,079 yards, still small by Tour standards. However, it isn’t your typical par 70 with three par-5s and five par-3s. Going long off the tee could be hazardous with tight, tree-lined fairways and plenty of doglegs to work around. It’s a strategy that will work as long as the drives are on target. Otherwise we’re likely to see more precise shots with the field clubbing down. There aren’t many obstacles outside water on a few holes and overhanging trees. A conservative approach won’t penalize players since the layout isn’t easily overpowered.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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