ZOZO Championship tips: Hideki Matsuyama looking to bounce back on home soil
Japan plays host to the USPGA Tour this weekend, and golf expert Martin Colwell thinks the home fans might be going home happy from the star-studded ZOZO Championship.
The Narashino Country Club, based in Chiba, not far from Tokyo, is a 7,079-yard par-70 tree-lined course on undulating parkland terrain with narrow fairways, several of which are dog-legged.
The 78-player field enjoy the rare luxury of no half-way cut, which could help those prone to a poor start.
A total prize money of $8.5M is up for grabs, with. Keegan Bradley teeing off as defending champion, but it is his compatriot Xander Schauffele is the short-priced favourite at 13/2.
Schauffele's recent form has been average at best, so this price seems of very little value, and although some people make a big thing of his mother being Japanese, that is unlikely to improve his game this week.
Another golfer with Japanese heritage is Collin Morikawa, and this dual major winner is hard to gauge. He had a half-decent Ryder Cup without doing enough to help the USA’s cause, and he blows much too hot and cold for the meagre-looking 10/1 price tag.
The same argument might be made when evaluating the chances of local hero and former Zozo winner Hideki Matsuyama. There are several question marks hanging over the 2021 Masters Champion in terms of both form and fitness
Matsuyama hasn’t made a top ten since finishing fifth at the Players Championship in March, and although he has only missed two cuts in 13 subsequent outings, he has rarely looked like threatening the leaders, with 13th his best finish.
He was forced to withdraw from the BMW Championship in August, citing a back injury, but if he is fully recovered and has saved himself for this tournament that he loves, then he must enter our calculations for homegrown success at 16/1.
Suggested bet: Hideki Matsuyama each-way in the ZOZO Championship
Yet another golfer with Japanese heritage is Rickie Fowler, whose form has tailed off and he was poor at the Ryder Cup, albeit after being laid low with sickness. At 14/1 I make him the worst-value bet of the week.
That can’t be said for Min Woo Lee , who should excel on this type of course. Mr Lee can contend anywhere in the world and is definitely a golfer to follow in future years, as is recent tour winner Sahith Theegala, who also has the game metrics to perform well here.
Others to consider
At 20/1 it’s worth keeping faith with Cam Davis, whose one bad round last week stopped him being right up there in Las Vegas, and the Aussie is surely knocking on the door of another Tour win during this fall swing.
Suggested bet: Cam Davis each-way in the ZOZO Championship
It’s also difficult to discount the chances of defending champion Keegan Bradley, and the lanky yank could well be good value again here at around 18/1.
Eric Cole narrowly missed a play off last week and can be relied upon to be up there most weeks, while Alex Noren also had a near miss in Vegas and seems to have got his game back in order. They each looks a decent shout at 28/1 and 40/1 respectively.
And finally, another home-grown golfer who has enjoyed success on the DP World tour is 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune. The recent winner of the Open de France and not long ago the number one ranked amateur in the world, he looks an enticing each-way punt at 70/1.
Suggested bet: Ryo Hisatsune each-way in the ZOZO Championship
All prices provided by Planet Sport Bet were correct at the time of writing but could be subject to change.
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