2021 ZOZO Championship Odds and Picks

• The ZOZO Championship from Inzai, Japan tees off Thursday, October 21st
• Xander Schauffele is the slight +600 favorite over Collin Morikawa
• We’ve narrowed down the golfers with the best chance of emerging victorious and provided the best value bets below

The PGA Tour will head to Asia for the first time since 2019 for the third installment of the ZOZO Championship from Narashino Country Club. Tiger Woods won the inaugural playing two years ago, then Patrick Cantlay did it in 2020. His victory came stateside, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to be contested in California.

Xander Schauffele, who won Olympic gold this past summer in Japan, is the +600 favorite to claim the title, slightly ahead of Collin Morikawa, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the CJ Cup. Local hero and reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is also in the field.

In all, 78 players will compete, with the top-60 from last season’s FedEx Cup points list qualifying, plus sponsor exemptions. There is no cut for the event.

2021 ZOZO Championship Odds

Odds as of October 18th at DraftKings

Hideki Matsuyama Very Nearly Won Here Two Years Ago

Just two years ago, had it not been for Tiger Woods matching Sam Snead with his 82nd career PGA Tour title here, Hideki Matsuyama would’ve given the local fans exactly what they wanted. He finished runner-up, three strokes behind Tiger. The reigning Masters champion will face enormous pressure to do one better this time, but he’s proven in his career he can handle the heat.

Hideki Matsuyama’s Strokes Gained Stats In Last 24 Rounds

Though Matsuyama hasn’t been his typical consistent self the last two weeks in Las Vegas, he’s not that far removed from playing some really solid golf. Just three starts ago at the Fortinet Championship, he was T-6th, where he ranked third in strokes gained: tee-to-green. He’s also no stranger to dealing with the pressure in his homeland, as he was in a supersized playoff for the bronze medal at the Olympic games this past summer.

At +1600 odds to win outright, you’re getting him at better value than the top-three golfers on the board, which is pretty good considering his history at this track.

2021 ZOZO Championship Best Value Picks

1. C.T. Pan (+4500): C.T. Pan has had a great start to the campaign, where he’s placed T-6th at the Fortinet Championship and T-11th at the Sanderson Farms Championship. For those eight rounds, he’s first in total strokes gained, second in short game, third in approach, and fourth in putting. The 2019 RBC Heritage champ also had recent success in Japan, having captured the bronze medal at the Olympic games.
2. K.H. Lee (+5000): This year’s AT&T Byron Nelson champion has been playing solid golf, making seven of his last eight cuts. He’s posted five top-25’s in that time frame. In the last 24 rounds on tour, Lee is first in strokes gained: off-the-tee, seventh tee-to-green, and twelfth in ball striking.
3. Harry Higgs (+6500): In five of his last six events, fan favorite Harry Higgs has made it to the weekend, where he’s been inside the top-40 in all those instances. Last week was his best result in that span, as he tied for ninth at the CJ Cup. He was second in strokes gained: putting for the championship and tenth in SG: approach.