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2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Betting Preview, Odds, Picks & Predictions: Can Xander Schauffele Win Outright?
AP Photos
Last week’s finish was a reminder to all how hard golf can be — even for the professionals — and that winning is even harder.
Tom Kim and Patrick Cantlay were the final grouping of the tournament and tied atop the leaderboard heading to 18. Cantlay was first to hit and hooked his tee shot into a bush and Kim followed him with a shot down the middle of the fairway.
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Cantlay attempted to hit his ball from the bush unsuccessfully, only to take an unplayable drop and proceed to hit it in the water. By the time Kim was hitting his second shot, the victory was all but his. Cantlay proceeded to triple the final hole as Kim rolled in an easy par putt for the win. This is Tom Kim’s first victory on tour this season and the second of his career.
This week the tour is headed across the Pacific to Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. This is the Tour’s only stop in Japan this season.
2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Event Information
- Dates: October 13-16, 2022
- Course: Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Chiba, JPN
- Purse: $11,000,000
- Defending Champ: Hideki Matsuyama
The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is one of the PGA Tour’s newer tournaments and has only been played since 2019. The tournament is typically played in the greater Tokyo area but was played in California in 2020 due to travel restrictions. It is a 72-hole, stroke play tournament, with a smaller field of only 78 players so no cuts will be made.
The 78-player field is made up of the top 60 available FedEx-ranked players from last season. The tournament is co-sponsored by the Japan Golf Tour and will feature the Tour’s top eight players on the prize money list from last year. The rest of the field is filled through sponsor exemptions.
The weather does not appear to be much of a factor this week with temperatures peaking in the low 70s and low chances of rain.
What Course Is The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Held At?
The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is held at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club located in Chiba, Japan. The course was opened in 1965 and, like most other golf courses built in Japan, actually features two greens on every hole — switched for mostly seasonal changes.
The course is par-70, 7,079 yards and has one of the more unique 18-hole setups on Tour. The 18 holes are composites of the 36 total holes featured on the country club and the result is five par 3s and three par 5s.
The par 3s are all under 200 yards and will put more pressure on short to mid-iron play than most other courses. The course has more than 70 bunkers guarding landing areas and greens. It also features water which will come into play on several holes and most will feature tree-lined fairways and plenty of doglegs. Driving accuracy will be a stat to watch this week as it will be key to setting up positional second shots. As always, putting will play a major factor this week.
How To Watch the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
- Wednesday: 11 p.m.-3 a.m. ET Golf Channel
- Thursday: 11 p.m.-3 a.m. ET Golf Channel
- Friday: 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. ET Golf Channel
- Saturday: 11 p.m.-3 a.m. ET Golf Channel
Can You Listen To the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP?
There is no live audio airing of this tournament.
Payouts for the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP
The total purse of the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is $11,000,000. The winner receives 500 FedEx Cup points and a minimum of 24 Official World Golf Ranking points — additional Official World Golf Ranking points can be added based on the tournament’s strength of field.
The champion also receives a two-season exemption on the PGA Tour, as well as inclusion to the 2023 Masters and 2023 PGA Championship, and the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
| Finish | Payout |
|---|---|
| 1 | $1,980,000 |
| 2 | $1,199,000 |
| 3 | $759,000 |
| 4 | $539,000 |
| 5 | $451,000 |
How Many Golfers are in the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP?
The tournament field is slightly smaller than most other tournaments and will be composed of 78 players. Despite the lower quantity, the quality still remains with four of the top 15 and 15 of the top 50 Official World Golf Rankings teeing it up this week.
Who has the Best Odds of Winning the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP?
Current odds favorites to win the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is Official World Golf No. 6, Xander Schauffele (+850), followed by Sungjae Im (+1000). Reigning champ and hometown favorite Hideki Matsuyama (+1300) rounds out the top three.
Click here to shop for the best golf odds with OddsJam’s odds comparison tool.
ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Past Winner
- 2021 Hideki Matsuyama (-15)
- 2020 Patrick Cantlay (-23)
- 2019 Tiger Woods (-19)
2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP Picks & Predictions
Xander Schauffele Tournament Winner | +850 at BetMGM
There is a reason Xander Schauffele is the favorite this week and he has the game to back it up. He finished last season in the top 10 strokes gain total and approach to green, both of which should play a major factor this week.
Sungjae Im Top 5 Finish | +190 at BetMGM
Sungjae Im continued his great play right where he left off last season. With last week’s top 10 finish, he finished in the top two in three of the last six tournaments and top 15 in the other three. This trend should continue and Im should find his way to a top-five finish this week.
