Zozo Championship moves to the West Coast amid coronavirus pandemic

The Zozo Championship will not be played in Japan as previously scheduled, but will be played Oct. 22-25 at Sherwood Country Club.

The Zozo Championship is moving across the Pacific.

The second annual tournament will no longer return to Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. Instead, it will be hosted by Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California, the PGA Tour announced late Monday.

The event will still be played on its original dates, Oct. 22-25.

As a result of the move, the 2020 event will be called the Zozo Championship at Sherwood.

The 2019 Zozo Championship made history as Tiger Woods won the inaugural tournament at Accordia by three shots to tie Sam Snead’s record of 82 career PGA Tour victories.

PGA Tour Executive Vice President, International Ty Votaw said in a statement the Zozo Championship is expected to return to Japan in 2021.

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The event, which will feature a 78-player field and an $8 million purse at the Jack Nicklaus Signature designed course, is now part of a three-event West Coast swing in October. The Zozo Championship follows the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 8-11 and the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas on Oct. 15-18.

“The PGA Tour is grateful that ZOZO Inc. has partnered with us to host the Zozo Championship at Sherwood this October,” Votaw said. “Considering Zozo Inc.’s main business is in Japan, the decision to hold its event in the U.S. underscores their commitment and support towards our sport, communities where we play and the PGA Tour. We are truly thankful for our partnership with ZOZO Inc. and the Japan Golf Tour Organization.”

Sherwood Country Club has hosted events such as Greg Norman’s Shark Shootout, the Chevron World Challenge hosted by Woods in 2011 and the Invesco QQQ Championship on the Champions Tour.

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