2024 PGA Picks: ZOZO Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
The FedEx Cup Fall wastes no time this week as we travel from Las Vegas all the way to Tokyo Bay. Yes, on the other side of the planet in Narashino, Japan, for the ZOZO Championship. There aren't just Asian golfers participating, either. Americans Xander Shauffele and Justin Thomas are in the field. California's Collin Morikawa is the defending champion at the ZOZO Championship. Japan's own and former winner here, Hideki Matsuyama, is playing his best golf of 2024 and will be in the field.
It's a small field of golfers this week at the ZOZO Championship, with only 60 getting the call, and there will be no cut after Friday's action. We are pretty top-heavy with the guys I mentioned, as well as a few others. Expect some Japanese golfers, but not a lot. Most of them are at the bottom of the betting board. That is still a FedEx Cup Fall event, and you'll see many familiar names from the past month or so filling in the middle.
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Tournament Winner Betting Odds
Xander Schauffele: +450 Min Woo Lee: +2800
Collin Morikawa: +650 Beau Hossler: +3500
Hideki Matsuyama: +750 Will Zalatoris: +3500
Sungjae Im: +1400 Maverick McNealy: +3500
Sahith Theegala: +1800 Seamus Power: +450
Justin Thomas: +2000 Max Homa: +4500
Kurt Kitayama: +2200 Ryo Hisatsune: +9000
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club: Course Characteristics
Accordia Golf at the Narashino Country Club is quite the experience. No, there won’t be robot caddies, although that is something the future holds. I’m sure Japan has been all over the idea for a while now.
The Narashino Country Club is made up of three courses, and we'll see a composite layout throughout the tournament. One cool feature will be some holes with multiple greens. Thankfully for players, this isn't full-on Myrtle Beach mini golf. Some holes simply have more than one green. The tournament design determines which one they play.
There are no par 4s on this course. I say that in jest, but if we're thinking solely in yardage, there aren't many. In reality, we have ten. However, half of them are cake, and the other half should be par 5s. The scorecards might get a little ugly, but we'll get there by the end, boys.
By no means should this golf course be taken lightly, though, as it consistently ranks around 12th each year for the most difficult on the PGA Tour.
ZOZO Championship Betting Picks
Collin Morikawa: +650
The aforementioned Morikawa has been either the 2nd or 3rd best golfer on the planet for the latter part of 2024, alternating positions behind Scottie Scheffler with Schauffele. I went with Morikawa instead of the latter in this spot because he was the winning experience at this course as well as a better price. The 4.5 for Schauffele to win just isn't doing it for me. Let's look at the next tier of betting odds.
Sahith Theegala: +1800
Here is a spot I love. Sahith Theegala may have the most betting value of any golfer on the board. The American is red-hot. Remember, he finished third and amongst the big three we mentioned at the Tour Championship. The Pepperdine grad followed that up with a solid 7th at the Procore. Theegala finished 5th in his first-ever start at Narashino and followed that up with a top 20 last year.
Maverick McNealy: +3500
Maverick McNealy not only has the coolest golf name in the tournament, but he is swinging one of the hottest clubs. Maybe a little too hot, though, as he finished the Shriners up in Vegas just days ago. The handsome 28-year-old looks healthy enough to make the flight and perform. I was only trying to pick golfers who didn't compete on the other side of the world last weekend, but I looked back at last year, and he did the same thing. After taking 10th at the Shriners, he bolts for Japan and snags 12th. Rock and roll.
ZOZO Championship Prop Bet
Ryo Hisatsune Top 40: -140
Our prop bet last week came through, albeit barely, as Daniel Berger finished tied for 39th. We are sticking with the top 40 play again this week, but remember, we only have 60 in the entire field with no cuts.
It was hard to find affordable odds for the top 40 play, and I did find top 30 odds on Ryo Hisatsune for (+140) if that's your style of play.
I love Hisatsune at the ZOZO Championship. At just 22 years of age, he's already made it to 87th in the World Golf Rankings. In 24 PGA Tour starts in 2024, the Okayama native managed 11 top-40 finishes. That was against a higher quantity and quaility of opposition.
Pick: Ryo Hisatsune Top 40 (-140)
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