2021 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Odds, Picks, Preview: 4 Have Betting Value in Japan

2021 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Odds, Picks, Preview: 4 Have Betting Value in Japan article feature image
Credit:

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images. Pictured: CT Pan

  • After a one-year stop in California, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP returns to Japan in 2021.
  • Two of the world's top-10 are in the Far East this week, which means there is betting value down the board.
  • Joshua Perry breaks down his four outrights picks for the ZOZO below.

Not much went our way at the CJ CUP.

Rory wasn't really on the radar much for me heading into the week, so I was never close there. Tyrrell Hatton was within striking distance but stalled out on Sunday. Chris Kirk did enough to get inside the top 20 so the week wasn't a complete loss.

Now the PGA TOUR heads back to Asia for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. After a one year stop in California due to the pandemic, Japan will host the event again.

Click to see the ZOZO odds via of DraftKings.
PlayerOdds
Xander Schauffele+600
Collin Morikawa+750
Paul Casey+1400
Hideki Matsuyama+1600
Will Zalatoris+1800
Tommy Fleetwood+2200
Rickie Fowler+2500
Jhonattan Vegas+2800
Cameron Tringale+2800
Alexander Noren+2800
Joaquin Niemann+2800
Charley Hoffman+3500
Si Woo Kim+3500
Maverick McNealy+4000
Erik Van Rooyen+4000
Keegan Bradley+4000
Emiliano Grillo+4500
Chris Kirk+4500
Mackenzie Hughes+4500
Cheng-Tsung Pan+4500
Branden Grace+5000
Adam Schenk+5000
Kyoung Hoon Lee+5000
Takumi Kanaya+5000
Lanto Griffin+5500
Carlos Ortiz+5500
Ryan Palmer+5500
Matt Wallace+5500
Luke List+6000
Pat Perez+6500
Roger Sloan+6500
Henrik Norlander+6500
Harry Higgs+6500
Brendon Todd+6500
Troy Merritt+8000
Doug Ghim+8000
Sebastian Munoz+8000
Garrick Higgo+8000
Brendan Steele+8000
Matt Jones+10000
Tom Hoge+10000
Robert Streb+10000
Chan Kim+10000
Jinichiro Kozuma+10000
Hiroshi Iwata+13000
Scott Vincent+13000
Tomoharu Otsuki+13000
Andrew Putnam+13000
Ryosuke Kinoshita+13000
Sam Ryder+15000
Kyle Stanley+15000
Doc Redman+15000
Sunghoon Kang+15000
Matthew NeSmith+15000
Chesson Hadley+15000
Rikuya Hoshino+15000
Sepp Straka+15000
Adam Long+18000
Brandon Hagy+18000
James Hahn+20000
Shugo Imahira+20000
Wyndham Clark+20000
Jimmy Walker+20000
Peter Malnati+20000
Satoshi Kodaira+20000
Ryutaro Nagano+30000
Kramer Hickok+30000
Kazuki Higa+30000
Naoto Nakanishi+30000
Wesley Bryan+30000
Ryo Hisatsune+30000
Tyler McCumber+30000
Tomoyasu Sugiyama+40000
Ryuichi Oiwa+40000
Ryuji Imada+40000
Bill Haas+40000
Naoyuki Kataoka+40000
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The Course

Narashino Country Club measures out at a little more than 7,000 yards for a par 70, so it’s relatively short on paper. But this course has five par 3s under 200 yards, which masks some of the length here. All the par 5s are more than 560 yards, and there are also five par 4s of 480 yards or longer.

Narashino features fairly tight, tree-lined fairways, so total driving will be more important this week than simply bombing it out there. Each hole also has multiple small greens, which is something we’ve never seen on tour.

Tournaments in Japan are rarely birdie fests. We usually get around 12-under as a normal winning score. The talent will be better this week, so I’m expecting something in the mid-teens, even though Tiger did reach 19-under two years ago.

My focus will just be on ball-striking. We’ll need guys who can stay out of the trees but are also long enough to attack some of these par 4s and par 5s. Being dialed in with the irons will be key; there won’t be much room to miss on some of the putting surfaces. Tiger and Hideki showed that in 2019. They were both able to stretch away from the field and rely on their strength on approach.

The Favorites

Most of the big names are staying home, but Colin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele will make the trip and open as basically co-favorites at around +600. Morikawa's game is ideal for the course, and he's coming off a runner up finish to Rory. Schauffele will also have some good vibes heading back to Japan after winning the Olympic gold medal there a couple months back.

Hideki Matsuyama is next at +1200 and was second here two years ago. He's another strong iron player who will be well suited to the conditions.

After that, we see Will Zalatoris, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood and Joaquin Niemann at around +2000. All of them should be good fits as well given the strength of their iron play, although of the group, Fleetwood has hit a rough patch lately with the ball striking.

The Mid-Tier

It will be a very light card for me this week. Those three names at the top are all great fits and in good form, so I could see any of them having a strong week and taking down this event.

I will take a shot with C.T. Pan here at +4500 on DraftKings. He's got two strong results in the fall, finishing sixth in Napa and 11th at the Sanderson Farms. He was also the bronze medalist at the Olympics so he's another player with some good memories in Japan recently. The iron play is dialed of late as well.

Bet CT Pan at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.

The Longshots

I'm going to take three chance down here and find a way to get some place money down, starting with Tom Hoge at 100/1 on DK. Hoge is a solid iron player but tends to struggle off the tee. He's coming off a couple good weeks in Las Vegas with the approach game, so I'd expect that to help him here.

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We'll also go to Matthew NeSmith at 150/1 on DraftKings. NeSmith is another guy who thrives with the irons. The rest of the game can be hit and miss, but he's another guy I'll take a chance on at this type of course.

Finally, we'll take our Japanese flyer on Ryosuke Kinoshita at 130/1, also on DraftKings. Kinoshita is the best ball-striker in on the JGTO right now, leading the tour in Total Driving and GIR. He's also been an above average with the putter.

Kinoshita has won twice and has eight top-10s in 20 starts this year. He was also third last week, so the form is where it needs to be to have a chance to contend here.

Bet NeSmith & Kinoshita at DraftKings and get a $1,000 sign-up bonus.

The ZOZO Card

  • CT Pan +4500 (.73 units)
  • Tom Hoge +10000 (.33 units)
  • Ryosuke Kinoshita +13000 (.25 units)
  • Matthew NeSmith +15000 (.22 units)

Total Stake: 1.53 units

About the Author
Joshua covers golf for The Action Network and has spent the past five years writing about sports and the past 10 betting them. He’s one of approximately five people who will watch the PGA Tour over the NFL in November.

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