Five of the top 25 players in the world rankings have made their way to Japan for this week’s Zozo Championship, which begins Thursday at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
It’s an uncommonly strong field for the FedEx Cup Fall, with this being the fourth of seven events. But the Zozo has a strong tradition, with previous champions and several stars with Japanese connections highlighting the field.
Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with the best bets to win this week.
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
Location: Chiba, Japan, Oct. 19-22
Course: Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club (Par 70, 7,079 yards)
Purse: $8.5M (Winner: $1.53M)
Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley
FedEx Cup Champion: Viktor Hovland
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 p.m.-3 a.m. (Golf Channel)
X: @ZOZOChampionship
PROP PICKS
–Emiliano Grillo to Beat Thomas Detry (+100 at DraftKings): Yes, the 35th-ranked Grillo is coming off a pair of missed cuts to start his Fall schedule, but he finished fourth here last year in advance of a 2023 that has included a win at the Charles Schwab Challenge and four other top-10s. It’s no slam dunk — the 80th-ranked Detry has made seven consecutive cuts worldwide — but we like the value the Argentinian provides.
–Hideki Matsuyama Top Japanese Finisher (+165 at BetMGM): There are 14 Japanese players in this prop, but none of the other 13 can hold a candle Matsuyama’s resume. The 2021 champion did finish 40th last year and has had a ho-hum 2023 to date with only a pair of top-10s. But as Rickie Fowler said, Matsuyama is a rock star in Japan and we expect him to rise to the occasion with two months to rest and recover since withdrawing from the BMW Championship with a back injury.
–Taylor Moore Top 20 (+190 at DraftKings): Moore tees it up in competition for the first time since playing in his first Tour Championship. A career-best 49th in the world, Moore won the Valspar earlier this year and posted a T4 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and solo fifth at the FedEx St. Jude. While a smattering of big names have made their way to Japan, Moore should fare well against a field where the majority of players are still fighting for 2024 status.
2023 Prop Picks Record: 42-46-2
BEST BETS
–Xander Schauffele (+700 at BetMGM), Collin Morikawa (+1000) and Matsuyama (+1600) have each competed in all four prior editions of the Zozo. Matsuyama won at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in 2021 with Morikawa finishing T7, while Schauffele posted a best finish of T9 last year.
–Fowler (+1600) finished second to Keegan Bradley by a single stroke last year. He has been backed by the fourth most total bets to win this week with 4.7 percent of the action.
–Min Woo Lee (+1800), competing on a sponsor exemption, is coming off a win on the Asian Tour and is No. 3 in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings. He’s the book’s second biggest liability this week as Lee leads the field with 9.2 percent of the total bets backing him to win since opening at +2000.
–Sahith Theegala (+1800), who finished T5 in his event debut last year, tees it up for the first time since claiming his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Fortinet Championship.
–Bradley (+2200), who also tied for seventh two years ago, said he “really loves” playing in Japan. He’s the only player with top-10 finishes each of the past two years. Bradley is also the book’s biggest liability, drawing the most money at 17.1 percent since opening at +2000.
–Cam Davis (+2200) has also seen his odds lengthen a bit since opening at +2000. He has posted a pair of top-10s this fall and has four over his past five starts overall.
–Eric Cole (+2800), the only rookie to qualify for the BMW Championship, is making his fourth consecutive start in the Fall series. He already has a pair of top-10s, including a T3 at last week’s Shriners.
NOTES
–Nos. 1-50 after the Tour Championship locked in their positions entering the 2024 FedEx Cup season. Nos. 51-60 after the Fall series will qualify for two signature events next year: the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational. The top 125 will be exempt into full-field events and The Players Championship, while Nos. 126-150 will earn Korn Ferry Tour status and conditional status on the PGA Tour next year.
–Winners during the Fall series receive world rankings points, a two-year PGA Tour exemption and invitations to next year’s Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship.
–The 78-player field includes 46 who competed in last week’s event in Las Vegas.
–Field Level Media