2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP First-Round Leader Updated Odds, Expert Picks: Tommy Fleetwood & Sebastian Munoz Among Value Plays
Stuart Franklin/Getty Images. Pictured: Tommy Fleetwood.
- The PGA TOUR heads to Japan this week for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.
- 78 players are in the field, and our analyst has three first-round leader bets for you to consider.
- Check out Matt Vincenzi's picks and analysis below.
Click arrow to expand 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP odds via bet365
| Player Name | Odds |
|---|---|
| Xander Schauffele | +800 |
| Sungjae Im | +1100 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +1100 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1400 |
| Tom Kim | +1400 |
| Cameron Young | +1600 |
| Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +2200 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +2500 |
| Corey Conners | +2800 |
| Keegan Bradley | +2800 |
| Si Woo Kim | +2800 |
| Tom Hoge | +3000 |
| Cameron Davis | +3500 |
| Mito Pereira | +3500 |
| Sahith Theegala | +4000 |
| Maverick McNealy | +4000 |
| Sebastian Munoz | +4000 |
| Sepp Straka | +4000 |
| Scott Stallings | +4500 |
| Kurt Kitayama | +5000 |
| Kyoung-Hoon Lee | +5000 |
| Matthew Nesmith | +5000 |
| Davis Riley | +5500 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +5500 |
| Lucas Herbert | +5500 |
| Emiliano Grillo | +6000 |
| Mackenzie Hughes | +6600 |
| Mark Hubbard | +7500 |
| Rickie Fowler | +8000 |
| Taylor Moore | +8000 |
| Kevin Streelman | +8000 |
| Andrew Putnam | +8000 |
| J.J. Spaun | +8000 |
| Aaron Rai | +10000 |
| Brendan Steele | +10000 |
| Wyndham Clark | +10000 |
| Luke List | +10000 |
| Matt Wallace | +10000 |
| Troy Merritt | +11000 |
| Stephan Jaeger | +11000 |
| Alex Smalley | +12500 |
| Adam Svensson | +12500 |
| Patrick Rodgers | +12500 |
| Russell Knox | +12500 |
| Hayden Buckley | +12500 |
| Cameron Champ | +14000 |
| Adam Long | +14000 |
| Martin Laird | +14000 |
| Joel Dahmen | +14000 |
| Adam Schenk | +14000 |
| Dylan Frittelli | +14000 |
| Beau Hossler | +15000 |
| Satoshi Kodaira | +15000 |
| Kazuki Higa | +15000 |
| Ryo Hisatsune | +15000 |
| Tomoharu Otsuki | +16000 |
| Lee Hodges | +17500 |
| Brandon Wu | +17500 |
| David Lipsky | +17500 |
| Shugo Imahira | +17500 |
| Yuto Katsuragawa | +17500 |
| Takumi Kanaya | +17500 |
| C.T. Pan | +20000 |
| Sam Ryder | +20000 |
| Rikuya Hoshino | +20000 |
| Peter Malnati | +22500 |
| Chez Reavie | +25000 |
| John Huh | +25000 |
| Riki Kawamoto | +25000 |
| Mikumu Horikawa | +27500 |
| Keita Nakajima | +30000 |
| Hiroshi Iwata | +30000 |
| Chad Ramey | +35000 |
| Danny Lee | +35000 |
| Naoyuki Kataoka | +35000 |
| Aguri Iwasaki | +35000 |
| Kaito Onishi | +35000 |
The PGA TOUR fall season makes its way to Japan for just the third time in history to play the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Narashino Country Club.
In the first two editions of the tournament at Narashino, two legends took home the trophy. Tiger Woods, who is a legend in any country who appreciates golf, and Hideki Matusyama, who is one of the most famous athletes in Japan, claimed each victory.
In the past two editions of the tournament, there have been three first-round leaders or co-leaders. All three of them have had morning starting times. However, with a smaller 78-man field this week, all of the players will be teeing off in the AM. Tee times will be fairly close together, so I don’t believe we can gather much predictive information based on tee time.
ZOZO Championship First-Round Leader Picks
Tommy Fleetwood +3500 (DraftKings)
First-Round Tee Time: 10:51 a.m. GMT +9
Tommy Fleetwood is an excellent fit for Narashino Country Club. He finished in a tie for seventh at the event last year and showed the ability to get off to a strong start, posting an opening round 67.
Fleetwood got out of the gates hot last month at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, coasting to the first-round lead. He’s struggled of late to put four rounds together but he can go as low as anyone on TOUR for one round at a time. Therefore, I really feel as though the first-round-leader market is the correct way to invest in the Englishman until he proves he can get into contention again.
Sebastian Munoz +4000 (DraftKings)
First-Round Tee Time: 10:29 a.m. GMT +9
Sebastian Munoz was a surprise at the Tokyo Olympics. At Kasumigaseki Country Club, the Colombian played his way to a playoff for the bronze medal. He once again proved his ability to play well in Japan at the 2021 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, where he finished in a tie for fourth. He shot a second-round 66 thanks to his ability to make birdies in bunches.
I thought about backing Munoz in the outright market this week, but since we’ve seen the very top players in the field rise to the top in these type of small field, no-cut events, it seems prudent to give the 29-year-old a shot as first-round-leader instead.
Keita Nakajima +10000 (DraftKings)
First-Round Tee Time: 9:56* a.m. GMT +9
Last year, we saw a Japanese player, Hiroshi Iwata, grab the first-round lead by shooting an impressive 63 on Thursday. There is no doubt that players who have played their whole life in Japan have an advantage being acclimated to the agronomy and climate of the region. In such a strong field, the best players will eventually rise to the top, but I do believe that some Japanese players will start out strong.
The player who caught my attention this week was the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world, Keita Nakajima. The 22-year-old played in the event last year and finished in a tie for 27th place.
Last week at LIV Bangkok, the former No. 2 ranked amateur golfer in the world Eugenio Chacarra outlasted several proven players to win the event. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a player with enormous talent such as Nakajima get involved this week at Narashino Country Club.
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