The FedEx Cup Fall takes on a new look this week as 78 men travel to Chiba, Japan for the 2023 ZOZO Championship.
In what will be the fourth time the PGA Tour steps foot onto Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, the ZOZO Championship will welcome the strongest field of this swing season. They are led by tournament favorite and world No. 6 Xander Schauffele.
Schauffele headlines 16 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings to tee it up this week. He arrives fresh off a disappointing performance at the 2023 Ryder Cup and hopes to capture his first victory in over a year from +800.
Schauffele’s American teammates Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler will also be making the trek to Japan.
Fowler entered the final round of last year’s tournament with a one-stroke lead before being usurped by Keegan Bradley on Sunday. He seeks revenge while Morikawa seeks to break a two-year winning drought. They are listed at +1200 and +1600 respectively.
Meanwhile, Sungjae Im (+1200), Hideki Matsuyama (+1600), Min Woo Lee (+1600), Cam Davis (+2000) and Adam Scott (+2500) make up a strong international contingent with eyes on raising the trophy by week’s end.
2023 ZOZO Championship Odds
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Xander Schauffele | +800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1200 |
| Sungjae Im | +1200 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +1600 |
| Min Woo Lee | +1600 |
| Rickie Fowler | +1600 |
| Cam Davis | +2000 |
| Keegan Bradley | +2000 |
| Sahith Theegala | +2000 |
| Adam Scott | +2500 |
| Eric Cole | +2500 |
| Adam Schenk | +3500 |
| Beau Hossler | +3500 |
Odds as of October 18
Betting Picks for the 2023 ZOZO Championship
With the strongest field of the FedEx Cup Fall, we have a few ZOZO Championship picks for you to consider.
Xander Schauffele To Win (+800)
Through three events of the FedEx Cup Fall, the best players have shined.
Schauffele is the cream of this crop as he has gained +2.50 strokes per round over the last six months – more than 0.50 strokes better than the man in second.
He has accomplished this through a well-rounded effort ranking second in strokes gained tee-to-green, seventh in strokes gained off the tee, second in strokes gained approach and third in strokes gained putting.
Having experienced success in Japan before, Schauffele has the form and the meddle to enter the winner’s circle for the first time in over a year. He has dominated no-cut events throughout his career with wins at the Olympics, Tournament of Champions, Tour Championship and WGC-HSBC Champions.
Rickie Fowler To Win (+1600)
Fowler came agonizingly close to winning this tournament last year and should be in a great position to make amends this time around.
It was not the Ryder Cup he had envisioned, but Fowler at least has competitive reps under his belt and arrives at the ZOZO Championship in a midst of strong form.
Over the last six months, he ranks second in total strokes gained, third in strokes gained tee-to-green, sixth in strokes gained approach and third in strokes gained around the green.
With Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club featuring small greens, Fowler’s combination of precise iron play and adequate short game should carry him to contention yet again.
Vincent Norrman To Win (+4500)
It was a disappointing effort from the Swede at the Shriners Children’s Open, but that may have just been a bump in the road.
Before Norrman’s missed cut in Las Vegas, he rattled off a top 20 at the BMW PGA Championship and a victory at the Irish Open on the DP World Tour. This followed a string of three straight top-25 efforts on the PGA Tour highlighted by yet another triumph at the Barbasol Championship.
Norrman ranks 16th in this field in total strokes gained over the last six months with top performances in terms of driving distance and strokes gained off the tee. If able to wield this club effectively, it should allow his scoring clubs to take over.
Beau Hossler Top-20 Finish (+130)
Hossler continues to put impressive performances together during this FedEx Cup Fall. He arrives having just finished inside the top 10 at the Shriners Children’s Open courtesy of yet another well-rounded effort.
He ranks inside the top 20 of this field in total strokes gained, strokes gained tee-to-green, strokes gained off the tee, strokes gained around the green and strokes gained putting over the last six months.
While a win may be difficult to achieve given the quality at the top of this oddsboard, Hossler has proven his game is strong enough to finish on the first or second page of the leaderboard.
Min Woo Lee Top-10 Finish +175
While all eyes were on the PGA Tour, Lee was busy running away with a trophy on the Asian Tour.
Winning at 30 under last week, the Australian captured his third professional victory and continued a stretch of play that goes back to this spring.
The 25-year-old ranks 10th in this field in total strokes gained, 14th in strokes gained off the tee, fourth in strokes gained around the green and ninth in strokes gained putting over the last six months.
His short game will allow him to contend for the second straight week, and if his iron play makes the trip to Japan, Lee will have a serious shot to win his first title on the PGA Tour.
Xander Schauffele Top-10 Finish (-120)
It’s chalky, but it is warranted. Schauffele is the best player in this field with some margin, and the top-10 price, while steep, is still more than fair.
With only 78 men playing, and 10 of those coming from the Japan Golf Tour Organization, just a middling performance from Schauffele could be enough for him to finish insde the top 10 by the end of the week.
