After a week in Las Vegas, the PGA Tour is in Japan for the 2022 ZOZO Championship – the fourth edition of this event. It boasts a strong field led by Xander Schauffele, with Hideki Matsuyama also returning to defend his title.
Below, we search for the best value prop bets among the 2022 ZOZO Championship odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions.
Schauffele is the highest-ranked player in the field in this week’s Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, coming in at No. 5 in the poll. Matsuyama is 9th and Sungjae Im, who’s also teeing it up this week, is 12th.
The ZOZO Championship is once again being played at Accordia Golf Narashino C.C. in Chiba, Japan. It’s a par 70 and plays at 7,079 yards, so it’s a shorter course with just three par 5s and five par 3s, so iron play and accuracy are paramount.
WATCH: PGA Tour is live on ESPN+! Get ESPN+
ZOZO Championship – Top-5 picks
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
Collin Morikawa (+350)
Morikawa nearly notched a top 5 here last year, tying for 7th. It was his third appearance in this event, so he’s played this course a couple of times and it seems to fit his game well: accurate off the tee, deadly with irons into greens.
Corey Conners (+550)
Conners was a disappointment for the International team in the Presidents Cup, but now that he’s back to playing his own ball individually, I think he’ll rebound nicely at an event he’s contended in before. In his two starts at the ZOZO Championship, he finished T-8 and T-6.
Xander Schauffele (+190)
A chalky bet, but one that feels like a smart wager, nonetheless. Schauffele is red hot right now and playing the best golf of his life, making him a deserving favorite this week. He already has two top 20s in this event, including one top 10 in 2019.
Claim your risk-free bet up to $350. Catch the excitement and start betting with Tipico Sportsbook! New customer offer in CO and NJ. 21+, see Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. Bet now!
ZOZO Championship – Top-10 picks
Cameron Young (+185)
Young hasn’t broken through for his first PGA Tour victory yet, but he’s been a top-10 machine early in his career. This is a good spot for him to secure another top-10 finish in Japan, even after his putter was somewhat cold in the Presidents Cup.
K.H. Lee (+380)
Lee tied for 18th in his debut at this tournament last year and posted a respectable T-37 last week. He finished last season strong, too, with a T-5 at the BMW Championship to make the Tour Championship.
Mackenzie Hughes (+500)
Hughes was 6-under in this event a year ago, which was good enough for a T-4 finish in Japan. Being a shorter course, Hughes won’t be at much of a disadvantage off the tee. He’s playing well right now, too, winning the Sanderson Farms Championship in his last start.
Also see: Odds and outright winner predictions
ZOZO Championship – Top-20 picks
Hayden Buckley (+270)
This is a good week to take a chance on Buckley. Though it’s his first time playing in the ZOZO Championship, he comes in with good form. Buckley tied for 20th last week and 19th in his start prior, quietly contending the last two times he teed it up.
ZOZO Championship – Matchups
Suggested play is golfer in bold.
- Corey Conners (+100) vs. Tyrell Hatton (-120)
- Sungjae Im (-110) vs. Hideki Matsuyama (-110)
Conners has been on the brink of winning this event a couple of times with two top-10 finishes in two starts. Hatton’s only appearance at the ZOZO Championship was in 2020 when he tied for 28th. Conners’ early struggles in the Presidents Cup likely played a part in him being plus money, which is a steal.
Im is also a great value at -110 against Matsuyama, who did win this championship last year. Im lit it up at the Presidents Cup and was making birdies in bunches, which wasn’t the case for Hideki.
ZOZO Championship – Top American
Xander Schauffele (+380)
Going back to Schauffele here as the top American, and it’s hard not to like this bet in a field that has so many talented international players. Getting him against just U.S. competitions is a good way to play it.
ZOZO Championship – First-round leader
Sungjae Im (+2000)
Few players have the ability to make birdies at the rate that Im does, and it’s not just by sticking irons close to pins. He’s a wizard around the greens and holes out with impressive consistency. I see him getting off to a hot start.
Cameron Young (+3000)
Young was a popular FRL pick last season after posting so many low scores in Round 1 before fading down the stretch. Although this will be his debut in this event, a sub-65 round could be in the cards.
More expert prop bet predictions
Winning margin: 1 shot (+250)
There are so many talented players in this field and the finish should come down to the wire. With no real dominant name on the leaderboard, I expect a close finish Sunday.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Want some action on the 2022 ZOZO Championship? Bet legally online with a trusted partner: Tipico Sportsbook, SportsbookWire’s official sportsbook partner in CO and NJ. Bet now!
If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, access all of our content at SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW, or try out our USA TODAY Parlay Calculator. Please gamble responsibly.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb7dafw2b08817yr player_id=none image=https://sportsbookwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Golfweek:
- Big money on the line at 2022 Zozo Championship
- Best affordable golf bags: Carry your clubs for less than $200
Follow @camdasilva on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1364]