Zozo Championship Odds, Picks & Predictions 2022
- The Zozo Championship from Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan tees off Thursday, October 13th
- Xander Schauffele is the +800 betting favorite over Sungjae Im
- Below, see the Zozo Championship odds to win, plus picks and the best value bets
The PGA Tour heads to Japan for the fourth iteration of the Zozo Championship, an event first won by Tiger Woods in 2019. This will be the third time Narashino Country Club will host the world’s best, with the tournament held in California in 2020 due to COVID-19. Last year, Hideki Matsuyama made the locals happy with a five-shot victory.
Unlike the first three events on the 2022-23 wraparound-season calendar, this tourney has some big names competing, with Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa a pair of top-10 golfers. The first two times the tournament was held at this par-70 track, the winning scores were 19-under and 15-under. It’s an exclusive 78-player field, with no cut over 72 holes.
2022 Zozo Championship Odds
| Golfers | Odds |
|---|---|
| Xander Schauffele | +800 |
| Sungjae Im | +900 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +1600 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1600 |
| Tom Kim | +1600 |
| Cameron Young | +1800 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1800 |
| Tyrrell Hatton | +2000 |
| Corey Conners | +2200 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +3500 |
| Keegan Bradley | +3500 |
| Christiaan Bezuidenhout | +3500 |
| Mito Pereira | +3500 |
| Maverick McNealy | +3500 |
| Tom Hoge | +4000 |
| Cam Davis | +4000 |
| Andrew Putnam | +4000 |
| Si Woo Kim | +4500 |
| Davis Riley | +4500 |
| Scott Stallings | +4500 |
Odds as of October 10th at DraftKings Sportsbook. Claim a DraftKings Sportsbook promo code.
Joining Schauffele and Morikawa are top-20 players Viktor Hovland, Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, and 20-year-old Tom Kim, who just won the Shriners Children’s Open. He’s younger than Woods was at the time of his second PGA Tour win, which is a remarkable feat.
Sungjae Im Playing Phenomenal Golf
Sungjae Im has been on fire in his last six starts, which have resulted in three-runner up finishes and nothing worse than a T-15th in that span. In his 2022-23 season debut last week, he was solid, winding up with a top-10.
Given his fantastic play, it’s no surprise to see him ranking so highly in plenty of ‘strokes gained’ categories.
Sungjae Im’s Strokes Gained Stats Last 24 Rounds
| Total | Tee-To-Green | Off-The-Tee | Ball Striking | Putting | Short Game | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
Not only has he been outstanding of late, but the one time he’s played this championship back in 2019, Im placed in a tie for third. He’s won a couple of times on the main circuit, and with his stellar game, it’s only a matter of time before he adds to that. His +900 odds aren’t overly juicy, but it would be a surprise if he wasn’t in the mix come Sunday.
Past Zozo Championship Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Hideki Matsuyama |
| 2020 | Patrick Cantlay* |
| 2019 | Tiger Woods |
*Tournament was held in California.
2022 Zozo Championship Picks and Value Bets
- Mito Pereira (+3500): Mito Pereira led the PGA Championship with one hole to play before a costly tee shot cost him the tournament earlier this year. He played well in two starts after that, but then hit a lull in his game. He returned to form at last weekend’s Shriners as he was the 36-hole leader, before he eventually settled for a fourth place tie. He was first in strokes: approaching the green and second tee-to-green, gaining over a whopping nine shots in both categories.
- Sepp Straka (+6000): Sepp Straka won the Honda Classic earlier this year for his first PGA Tour title. He’s nearly added to his trophy case in his last four starts, where he lost a playoff at the FedEx Cup playoff opener, then again two weeks ago at the Sanderson Farms. He’s first in SG: tee-to-green over that span.
- Matthew NeSmith (+7000): Matthew Nesmith has had a phenomenal start to his campaign, chasing a T-9th at the Sanderson Farms with a tie for second in Las Vegas last weekend. He gained over a combined 15 shots on his competitors tee-to-green for those two events.
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Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.
