PGA Tour Tips
The Zozo Championship – Date: Oct 13–16, 2022
The PGA Tour is heading to Japan for the Zozo Championship, which will be held at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. The course is a Par 70, stretching 7,041 yards. The tournament was first hosted here in 2019, with Tiger Woods emerging as the champion, three strokes ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, a prominent Japanese golfer. The field will consist of 78 players, and similar to the CJ Cup, there will be no cut line. This means that players will have four rounds to compete for victory, so it’s crucial to target those who can go low. The winning score is expected to be around 20 under par.
Given the limited course history for non-Japanese Tour players, it will be important to consider their performance in the 2019 edition. While we don’t place excessive emphasis on travel fatigue, we will take into account how golfers handled the travel and performed in the Olympics. The course presents an interesting challenge with par 3s ranging between 175-200 yards, and several par 4s playing either shorter or longer distances. It is a tree-lined course, making it necessary for players to navigate accuracy off the tee, especially with the longer par 4s. Hence, SG: Off The Tee, specifically driving accuracy, will be crucial. Ball striking and recovery skills will also be significant due to the potential trouble presented by wayward drives and trees. Looking at the 2019 leaderboard, notable names like Tiger, Deki, Im, McIlroy, Connors, Schauffele, and Keegan Bradley performed well. This suggests that the course favors strong approach play, making it worth considering excellent approach players. The putting aspect may not play a major role this week, as some of the mentioned players are average to bad putters.
Target Player Profile: We are looking for players who can go low, exhibit solid and mostly accurate off-the-tee performance, excel in approach play, display above-average ball striking, and possess some recovery ability. An example of a player to watch this week is Johnny Vegas, who excels off the tee, has shown proficiency in approach play, can shoot low scores, and has been performing exceptionally well lately. If he can putt decently, this course should suit him very well.
Betting Picks – Most Online Bookmakers Paying 8+ Places:
- Viktor Hovland @14/1: We hope Hovland can fly under the radar a bit, allowing us to pick him up at favorable odds. While his history at this tournament isn’t exceptional, his game on paper aligns well with the course, making him a perfect fit.
- Xander Schauffele @7/1: Schauffele has been one of the outstanding players of the year and will be aiming for dominance at this event.
- Matthew Nesmith @40/1: With two consecutive top-ten finishes and a strong overall profile, Nesmith presents an opportunity to take some risk while the odds are favorable.
- Tommy Fleetwood @28/1: As a world-class player who has had an inconsistent year but is due for a win, Fleetwood is a noteworthy pick.
These are our top four picks, and the odds mentioned were correct at the time of posting. We suggest considering Each Way bets for the selections with higher odds.
The Zozo Championship is a professional golf tournament in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, which is located in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and the PGA Tour. It is also sponsored by ZOZO, a Japanese clothing brand.
Image Credit: corp.zozo.com
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