2023 PGA Picks: Zozo Championship Odds and Expert Betting Predictions

The PGA Tour jets off more than 5,500 miles from Las Vegas to Chiba, Japan, for the 2023 Zozo Championship. The event will feature a limited field of just 78 players teeing off at the Narashino Country Club, and there will be no cut this weekend. I will look to continue our momentum to the start of the 2023-24 season as I have correctly identified winners in three of the first four events for the fall wrap around portion of the upcoming year. We have cashed tickets for Sahith Theegala at the Fortinet Championship, Team Europe at the Ryder Cup, and Tom Kim last weekend at the Shriners Children’s Open. Hopefully you also took Kim for a top-10 play at plus money. If you have put 1-unit on all my picks for the fall, you are currently sitting at +$2,240.
There is also much more on the line in the fall for players looking to solidify their eligibility for the 2024 season. A victory during the fall will earn a two-year Tour exemption, 500 FedEx Cup points, entry to the season-opening Sentry and the Players Championship, as well as eligibility into majors that have invited Tour winners in the past. Doc’s Sports will break down the best bets for this upcoming week of golf below.
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A Look at the Field
Here is a look at the Top 12 and ties with the lowest golf odds to win it all at online sportsbooks
Xander Schauffele +700 – Collin Morikawa +1100 – Sungjae Im +1400 – Rickie Fowler +1600
Min Woo Lee +1600 – Hideki Matsuyama +1600 – Sahith Theegala +2000 – Cam Davis +2000
Keegan Bradley +2200 – Adam Scott +2500 – Eric Cole +3500 – Vincent Norrman +4000
Course Characteristics of Those Who Can Win or Secure Winning Golf Bets
Narashino Country Club features a 36-hole layout, split into the King and Queen courses. The Zozo Championship combines elements of both courses, featuring five par threes and fives par fives. This week’s event plays at a par 70 and measures 7,079 yards in length. The course is tree-lined, fairly narrow, and the greens are smaller than average.
Collin Morikawa +1100
Morikawa returns to the Zozo Championship, where he has competed in all five editions. His best finish at this event was seventh-place in 2021. For the year, he is 20th in the world rankings and is sixth in the FedEx Cup Rankings. This is his first event since the stinging loss at the Ryder Cup, and I am looking for him to get back into the winner’s circle.
Sungjae Im +1400
Im is another player in great form heading into this event. He recently secured a gold medal for South Korea at the Asian Games alongside Si Woo Kim. Im has had success at this course, finishing third in 2019 when Tiger Woods won the event. The 25-year-old currently ranks 24th in the FedEx Cup rankings and has two career victories on the PGA Tour. Last season, Im had nine top-10 finishes. I am keying in on Im this weekend to win the Zozo Championship.
Rickie Fowler +1600
I have been on the Rickie Fowler train a few times this past season, as he has found his old form and contended on a weekly basis. Since his Rocket Mortgage victory in July, he picked up three top-25 finishes in the FedEx Cup playoffs including a sixth-place finish at the Tour Championship. This is his first action since the Ryder Cup and finished T-2 last year at this event. He was not in top form last year and almost won. This year he is confident and in solid form. Sounds like a recipe for success this week in Japan.
Eric Cole +3500 (+115 top-20)
Cole just finished T-3 at the Shriner’s Children’s Open on Sunday after finishing 4th at the Fortinet Championship last month. He has been playing extremely well this fall and has not finished worse than T-35 since July. With such an impressive stretch, I will be placing ½-unit on him to win and 1-unit on a top-20 finish.
Golf Picks: Who to Consider This Week:
To win: Morikawa, Im, Fowler, Cole
Top-20 Play: Cole +115
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