2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Picks & Predictions: Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa Top the Card
Getty Images. Pictured: Collin Morikawa (left) and Viktor Hovland.
It was a great weekend of golf in Vegas as Tom Kim and Patrick Cantlay separated themselves from the field into Sunday and duked it out for eighteen holes. The finish was a shock though as Cantlay just completely folded on the final hole with a triple bogey to effectively hand the trophy over to Tom Kim. That's not to say Kim wouldn't have won it on his own merit as the twenty year-old went bogey free for the entire week, but it was still surprising to see "Patty Ice" go cold in the biggest moment.
Now, the TOUR heads overseas to Japan for the ZOZO Championship with a no-cut event and just seventy-eight players. Still, it is one of the best fields we will likely see this fall as seven of the top twenty players in the world are set to tee it up from Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan.
I'll likely be looking to build a short card this week, taking one or two big names near the top, and maybe a dart further down the odds board. We typically see the cream rise to the top in these shorter field events, so I expect we see the winner come from one of the elites.
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Card
Collin Morikawa +1600
There were a lot of storylines that came about during the Presidents Cup, but one that stuck with me on the course was from Collin Morikawa who stated that his patented cut is "definitely back." I was never one who needed a reason to keep chasing that next Morikawa win, but that will certainly put me over the top across his next few events.
This week, he gets a ball striking course where hitting greens at a high clip is the most important stat, and with the best iron player in the world getting his swing back, I am happy to take my shot here at +1400 to start my card.
Viktor Hovland +2200
If you had asked me before odds came out who I was interested in, Viktor Hovland wouldn't have made the short list. I assumed he'd be in the teens alongside the other elite players in the field, but since the oddsmakers have put him in the second tier, I'll bite.
This is strictly a bet at the number on a top level talent in a short field on a course that when he is right, should fit his game quite well. Hovland can be one of the top ball strikers in the game, and if he can pepper the greens in regulation, he'll have a chance to score and be in the mix at the end of the week.
Keegan Bradley +3500
My next pick isn't a dissimilar mold to Morikawa as Keegan Bradley has always been known best for his ball striking. He has the ability to put on a stripe show any time he tees it up, but now he has added a much improved putting game. He ranked 88th on TOUR in SG: Putting last season, which may not sound great, but it is quite an improvement when you consider he hovered in the 180th range in each of his four prior seasons.
He doesn't need to be perfect to contend, and if he brings the ball striking that we are used to, he can certainly put himself in the mix over the weekend on a course where he has two top-15 finishes, including a T7 last year.
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