Another week, another big-time golf tournament with a twist. This Thursday through Sunday, the stars of the PGA Tour and the stars of the Japan Golf Tour compete in an event co-sanctioned by the two governing bodies. This event, sponsored by Japanese clothing brand ZOZO, began in 2019 and has been the only event sponsored by the PGA Tour in Japan since it was created in 2019.
Unique events like the ZOZO Championship always bring a little extra in the players. Here is a look ahead at the tournament in Inzai.
ZOZO Championship Information
This will be the sixth edition of the ZOZO Championship and the fourth time the event has been held at Narashito Country Club in Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. 2020 was the only time that the ZOZO championship was held elsewhere, with the location shifted to Sherwood Country Club in Sherwood, California, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions that came with it.
The course at Narashito will play to a par 20, which is 7,041 yards long. The field of 78 contains the Top 60 available PGA Tour players from last season’s FedEx Cup standings, the leading seven players on the Japan Golf Tour money list this season, the Top 3 from the Bridgestone Open this year, and eight sponsor exemptions. This leads to a highly competitive field and some excellent tournament golf.
2024 ZOZO Championship Odds
- Xander Schauffele – 11/2
- Collin Morikawa – 15/2
- Hideki Matsuyama – 9/1
- Sung-jae Im – 16/1
- Sahith Theegala -20/1
2024 ZOZO Championship Leading Contenders
Two previous winners of the ZOZO Championship are among the favorites with Betchange. Defending champion Collin Morikawa is the 15/2 second favorite for the tournament, while 2021 winner Hideki Matsuyama is the 9/1 third favorite. Matsuyama is the only Japanese winner of the event, with the other four champions coming from the United States. This includes Tiger Woods, winner of the first ZOZO Championship in 2019.
Favorite Xander Schauffle will always be a significant threat when he is in the field, especially in a group of players that feels top-heavy with the first few names holding such clout. This is because the field is missing one prominent name in Scottie Scheffler. Scheffler has won eight times in 2024 despite missing several tournaments on his extended break, so the other leading contenders automatically have one less big name to vault past to claim the title.
2024 ZOZO Championship Prediction
The lean here is to look for a big hitter. The winners, Woods, Patrick Cantley, Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, and Morikawa, are all guys who can slap the skin off a golf ball.
Morikawa is a worthy pick, but the fact that there have been no two-time winners, let alone repeat winners, cools me on that pick. Instead, I am looking at the in-form Sung-jae Im to take the crown.
Im finished T12 or better in nine of his last twelve starts. He also has two top-12 finishes in two of his previous three starts at this course. His strokes-gained/too-to-gren data is promising, and he has the club strength to do some real damage to this course.
Pick: Sung-jae Im – 12/1
Outside Pick: Kurt Kitiyama – 28/1 (He just needs his putter to be on)
