Damien Kayat previews the 2022 edition of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship taking place at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Japan.
2022/2023 US PGA Tour
Zozo Championship
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, Inzai, Chiba, Japan
13th-14th October
Tony Kim was in electrifying form at the Shriners Children Open, beautifully setting up this celebration of Asian golf. This will be the fourth staging of the ZOZO Championship- a co-sanctioned event between the US PGA Tour and the Asian Tour.
The one and only Tiger Woods won the initial staging of this event staged at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. The pandemic, unfortunately, necessitated a change of venue, with California’s Sherwood Country Club hosting the 2020 edition of this event.
Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama built on his sensational 2021 Masters victory with a fairly routine win at this venue last year. That means this will be the third edition of this event staged at Accordia.
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club
The Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club was designed by Shinya Fujita and opened in 1965. This is actually a 36-hole facility and the Zozo Championship is played on a composite course (made up of two courses called the King and the Queen).
This is a very unique layout. It’s a par 70 that measures just a smidge over 7,000 yards. But it features five par 3’s and three par 5’s. This must be one of the few courses that features that exact breakdown.
The narrow, tree-lined fairways feature plenty of doglegs. This puts a real premium on the ability to shape the ball both ways. Little wonder that players such as Tiger and Hideki have thrived in this environment.
The bentgrass greens are smaller than average and will require precise play. On the surface, this certainly looks like a course that will reward precision over power.
There’s almost a bit of an Augusta vibe to proceedings (no wonder Hideki has tasted success here).
The Contenders
Xander Schauffele is arguably the most underrated player in the world. He won Olympic Gold last year in Japan and has a number of close calls in Major Championships. He returns after a decent Presidents Cup and cannot be underestimated.
There is an absolute plethora of Asian talent that is primed to succeed this week. Tony Kim held off the advances of Patrick Cantlay to claim last week’s Shriners title.
Hideki Matsuyama is also back, not only to defend his title, but to represent an entire continent. And Sungjae Im has arguably been one of the most consistent players in world golf over the past 18 months.
Throw in the likes of Cameron Young and Victor Hovland and you have a real golf tournament on your hands.
Past Winners
2021: Hideki Matsuyama (-15)
2020: Patrick Cantlay (-23) * (Sherwood CC)
2019: Tiger Woods (-19)
To Win Outright:
Xander Schauffele 15/2 | Sungjae Im 11/1 | Hideki Matsuyama 12/1 | Tony Kim 14/1 | Collin Morikawa 14/1
Value Bets
Keegan Bradley- To Win 30/1 | To Place 13/2
Sure, it has been four years since 2011 US PGA Champ Keegan Bradley last tasted victory. But he clearly loves this track, still holding the course record with a 63 in 2019. He finished 13th and seventh in his two starts here and is fresh off a hot fifth-place finish at the Sanderson Farms Championship. His awesome iron play should stand him in good stead this week.
Lucas Herbert- To Win (55/1), To Place (12/1)
Aussie Lucas Herbert has shown some excellent form over the last few months and should represent better value than mercurial compatriot Min Woo Lee. He recorded top-15 finishes at both the Open Championship and BMW Championship. He also had a top 5 in Italy before a creditable top 20 finish in Las Vegas last week. He has a nice balance between distance and length and could be a real dark horse this week.
The Man to Beat- Sungjae Im- To Win 11/1 | To Place 24/10
Im just has to be my choice this week. Since July, his form reads T2, T2, 12th, T15, T2 and 7th. I think Im will feel hugely motivated to chase down fellow Korean sensation Tony Kim. Kim is now five spots higher than Im in the world golf rankings and I think Im has something to prove in that respect. He skipped last year’s event, but Im did finish in a tie for third in his only other visit to Narashino on 2019.
