Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 ZOZO Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the ZOZO Championship
ZOZO Championship Fantasy Preview
The fallout from the rather one-sided Ryder Cup demolition earlier in the fall was clear for all to see at the CJ Cup.
Rory McIlroy left Whistling Straits in tears after the heavy defeat for the European team he was the lynchpin of – frustrated, no doubt, that he couldn’t contribute more to the cause.
Such disappointment can have a galvanizing effect, and it was pretty evident that the Irishman had the bit between his teeth as he took apart a yielding Summit course. To be honest, his iron game was far from his best work, but Rory was assured on and around the greens and that helped him along to a catalogue of birdies in agreeable conditions.
Local boy Collin Morikawa was in the hunt, as was a revitalized Rickie Fowler, but neither could haul in McIlroy, who admitted afterwards that he had sunk to some personal and professional lows in the pursuit of improving his game – in the end, the very best know just to be themselves….why wouldn’t they be?
It was the twentieth PGA TOUR title win of McIlroy’s career, putting him in an illustrious group that includes Greg Norman and Hale Irwin.
A player seeking their seventh PGA TOUR win is the Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama, and wouldn’t he love it if that came on home soil as the TOUR makes a rare sojourn overseas this week for the ZOZO Championship.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Out top dog last week was Collin Morikawa and what a weekend the young stud put up, finishing with a whopping 145 fantasy points on Draftkings!
On our Tuesday Sleeper Report, we also came in with two 5th place finishers in Aaron Wise and Taylor Gooch.
ZOZO Championship Field
Hideki will be well supported on home soil in Chiba, although he will be joined by a decent crowd in Japan.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa leads the supporting cast, along with Xander Schauffele and Paul Casey, while Ryder Cupper Tommy Fleetwood – who has enjoyed success in Asia before as part of the European Tour – is also in action.
The resurgent Rickie Fowler will be looking to build on his efforts in Vegas, while the likes of Kevin Na and Cameron Champ will take plenty of PGA TOUR titles with them to Japan….where Will Zalatoris will be looking for his first.
The ZOZO Championship is co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour, and there will be at least a dozen ‘local’ pros teeing it up.
This Week’s Course Preview
We’ve only had one look at Narashino Country Club thus far, and that came in the 2019 version of the ZOZO Championship.
That was won by Tiger Woods with a score of -19, and so we know that will yield to the world’s best – the Big Cat made 27 birdies on his way to the title two years ago.
This is a trademark parklands track in Asia in some ways, with lush green surfaces and some considerable water hazards – although, in truth, the latter are only in play with any significance on four holes.
Playing at 7,041 yards for its Par 70, Narashino features dense tree-lines and plenty of doglegging holes, with some unique undulations also catching the eye.
The greens are on the small side and are laid to Bentgrass, although taking root in the unique Japanese conditions you suspect these play slightly differently to those in the United States.
Weather Forecast for Chiba, JPN
If any of the players were hoping for a sunny sojourn to Asia, they might just be sorely mistaken.
The early forecast is not great – in fact, it’s bang average. There’s rain around on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then the tournament itself will unfold in cloudy, gloomy and pretty cool conditions….a top temperature of 66˚F is more jacket than sunblock.
The wind in this part of the world can be pretty unpredictable too, and the breeze will range quite markedly from 4mph to 12mph throughout the four days of play.
Last Year’s Results from the ZOZO Championship
Patrick Cantlay is, technically, the reigning ZOZO Championship title holder, after he outlasted the field in the 2020 edition played at Sherwood CC in California.
But for the purposes of this preview, it’s perhaps best rewinding to 2019 for the last time that this event was played on Japanese soil. And, that week, the Big Cat was on the prowl.
Tiger Woods obliterated the field, finishing on -19 – for context, Byeong Hun An and Charles Howell III finished T8 and they were a full eight shots behind the winner.
Opening 64-64, the veteran had done much of the donkey work by the weekend, and consolidated with 66-67 over a drama-free couple of days to win by three shots from Matsuyama, who to the joy of his countrymen and women launched a late bid for the title.
McIlroy and Sungjae Im were locked in T3, six shots behind Tiger.
Patrick Cantlay shoots 7-under 65 | Round 4 | ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP 2020
No Description
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the ZOZO Championship this Week
Remembering that this is a limited size field of 78 (presuming nobody withdraws), so it’s another week where single entry contests are perhaps the most equitable plays. Here’s a couple to try:
- PGA $25k Dogleg: With just 883 slots available, there are ample opportunities in this single-entry contest with the winner banking $2.5k from their $33 entry.
- PGA $25k Long Drive: There’s an ever smaller field here – just 288 teams – and for your $100 entry you’ll get a chance to battle it out for the $5,000 top prize….plus other consolation payouts, of course.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the ZOZO Championship
One of the few frustrations of the PGA TOUR’s global jaunts is that they very rarely pack up the Shot Tracker equipment and take it with them – meaning that very little data is recorded.
So all we know from the 2019 ZOZO Championship is driving accuracy and GIR, which confirmed – as you would expect – that Tiger was on fire with his irons, making 76% of greens in regulation from 65% of fairways found.
You do expect approach play to be crucial at Narashino, principally because the greens are small in stature but also because they are fairly receptive – cool temperatures and largely wind-free in Chiba, these Bentgrass surfaces are not an electric pace by any means.
When co-sanctioned events take a trip to far-flung corners of the globe, we can sometimes expect surprises on the leaderboard – but 2019’s ZOZO did not deliver on that front. Of the first seven players in the standings, five were from North America, one was Rory and the other two – Hideki and Im – are regular fixtures on leaderboards wherever the PGA TOUR goes.
Basically, what we’re trying to say is that the local players, or those of Asian heritage, do not seem to have a clear edge at Narashino. Indeed, the 2019 leaderboard hints at some of the most basic concepts in golf – make plenty of GIR and make some putts.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the ZOZO Championship
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the ZOZO Championship
Top Tier Pick #1:
Hideki Matsuyama (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 88.0, GPFP: 110.88 Salary: $10,300)
There was a tremendous amount of pressure on the sizable shoulders of Hideki Matusyama at the Olympic Games.
The Japanese star was on home soil and one of his country’s best hopes for a medal, but it was pressure that he wore well – just missing out on the bronze medal.
Hideki will be back in his homeland this week, and few in the field will be as motivated as he is to win the events – happily, he has the class to do exactly that.
His current formline is misleading, to some extent. T6 at the Fortinet Championship, Matsuyama opened up with a 65 at the Shriners before hitting a spectator with a loose shot, which left them in a bloody heap – that seemed to affect him, as it would anybody.
T59 at the CJ Cup looks less than impressive too, but Hideki ranked eleventh for SG: Tee-to-Green and so all is far from lost. An improvement with the flat stick will see him back in contention on home turf.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 24th
- SG: Approach – 34th
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 50th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Joaquin Niemann (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 87.0, GPFP: 90.48 Salary: $9,900)
There is something of a temptation to play Rickie Fowler in this slot, but as DFS gamers we have to be wary of jumping on the bandwagon of a player still finding his form despite green shoots of recovery.
Instead, Joaquin Niemann holds appeal – a guy who will almost certainly go under the radar this week.
That’s because his current formline doesn’t appear to be anything to shout about, but he continues to serve up excellent tee-to-green numbers – ranking 19th for that metric at The Summit in a T45 finish.
You don’t need us to tell you that means he stunk on the greens, and the regression is a surprise given that the Chilean made great strides with the flat stick last season. Having played well in Asia before, perhaps staying loyal to Niemann will finally pay dividends this week.
Key Stats:
- Birdie Average – 35th
- Approaches from 125-150 yards – 41st
- SG: Around-the-Green – 57th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Carlos Ortiz (Odds: 55/1, FPPG: 75.6, GPFP: 93.77 Salary: $8,600)
Another who has been delivering excellent ball-striking numbers of late is Carlos Ortiz, and he’ll be hoping for a more concerted effort at the top of a leaderboard soon.
Given how much success he has had outside of America, it might come this week – admittedly, he won’t have played much golf in Asia.
But tee-to-green quality tends to travel, and so impressive has Ortiz’s play been of late that three of his last seven rounds have been played in 65, 66 and 67 shots.
The Mexican hasn’t found his touch on the greens for a while, but his ball-striking class is definitely worthy of a second look.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 14th
- Total Driving – 17th
- SG: Approach – 23rd
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Harry Higgs (Odds: 70/1, FPPG: 73.3, GPFP: 66.73 Salary: $7,500)
A winner in Peru, runner-up in Bermuda, Argentina and Jamaica….it’s fair to say Harry Higgs enjoys travelling.
Japan might be a new territory for him, but Higgs tends to find a way wherever he goes and that bodes very nicely.
He played superbly well at The Summit, ranking top-10 for SG: Approach and SG: Putting, which really is a happy combination. Six of his last eight rounds have been played in the 60s, and if he packs that form up – as he tends to do on international trips – then Higgs could be a big player this week.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 38th
- SG: Putting – 43rd
- SG: Approach – 76th
Low-Tier Pick:
Tom Hoge (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 74.1, GPFP: 61.72 Salary: $7,000)
A player that tends to impress with his irons is Tom Hoge, and that’s an interesting skillset because it usually travels better than pure putters, who may find the difference in conditions tough.
It’s not a fact that Hoge will play well in Japan, but we do like his progressive form – he ranked top 20 for strokes gained on approach and around the green at The Summit last time out.
That followed a T14 at the Shriners, where he produced rounds of 66, 66 and 67, and so we have to assume that Hoge boards the jet to Japan in fine fettle.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 10th
- Scrambling – 19th
- Scoring Average – 54th
Sleeper Pick for the ZOZO Championship
Takumi Kanaya (Odds: 110/1, FPPG: 70.4, GPFP: 56.30 Salary: $7,200)
While unlikely to win the event, there is still room in our line-ups for a progressive local player in these offshore tournaments.
Fitting the bill is Takumi Kanaya, a three-time Japan Golf Tour winner who also has top-10s in decent quality events overseas, including the Australian Open (T3) and the Dubai Desert Classic (T9 – one shot behind the likes of Sergio Garcia and Bernd Wiesberger).
With seven consecutive top-20 finishes, five of which were top-10s, Kanaya could be a sleeper play to savor this week.
Key Stats:
- N/A
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the ZOZO Championship
Scott Vincent (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 75.0, GPFP: 60.00 Salary: $6,400)
Ranked 115 in the world, Scott Vincent should perhaps be better known in the world of golf than he is.
The Zimbabwean has opted, by and large, to build his career in Asia, and it’s a move that has paid dividends – he has won twice on the Japan Golf Tour this year.
Vincent has performed well in rare outings on the European Tour too, and finished T16 at the Olympic Games in the summer. If you need a bargain basement pick, he might just be the man.
Key Stats:
- N/A
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the ZOZO Championship with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
What’s Really Going on with LIV Golf?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
