Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – ZOZO Championship
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the ZOZO Championship
ZOZO Championship Fantasy Preview
The first week of the Asian Swing got off with a bang as our pick and former champion Justin Thomas ruled at the CJ Cup.
It was the 26-year-old’s eleventh PGA TOUR win since the tail-end of 2016 – nobody has won more than that, which just goes to show that JT should not be underestimated.
Clearly, to win that many times you need some bottle – Thomas has won eight of his career titles from a 54-hole lead – and once again the Kentucky man took care of business ahead of Danny Lee, whose Asian heritage ensured he became something of a crowd favorite in that final pairing.
In the face of extreme pressure, Thomas held his nerve. Lee did not.
The Tour continues at pace and takes a leap across the Sea of Japan from South Korea to Japan, where we will witness the first edition of the ZOZO Championship at the Narashino Country Club in Chiba.
You may have got a glimpse of the course from the rather tawdry Skins Challenge in the early hours of Monday, in which Jason Day hacked and sliced his way to glory ahead of a well below-par Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
BOOM! With JT pulling in the top spot, that marks our FOURTH winner this fall season out of SIX events!
That’s right folks, we’re sitting pretty with a 67% win percentage so far in the first six weeks of the new season; our best move out of the gate in 6 years!
In case you missed it, here’s what we had to say about JT heading into the CJ Cup:
The missed cut of Brooks Koepka at Shriners in his first start since surgery was a real off-putter as he starts the defense of his title on the other side of the world.
For that reason, Justin Thomas becomes an auto-lock for a tournament he won back in 2017.
JT has been in fine form for months now, and he has finished no lower than T12 in any of his last seven starts! That run includes a win at the BMW Championship, T9 in the TOUR Championship and T4 last time out in the Safeway Open, where he struck the ball beautifully.
There’s just something about the world number five, who remains one of the most prolific winners in world golf without getting the respect or attention of many of his peers.
If he knows it, it’s the fire that burns inside Thomas, and he will be able to triumph on Jeju Island no matter whether it’s a birdie shootout or a real grind for the line.
Now let’s work to continue the wrap-around schedule success with this week’s ZOZO Championship.
The ZOZO Championship Field
There’s a high-quality field making their bow in Japan, with Tiger Woods keeping an eye on many of his prospective Presidents Cup colleagues at first hand.
Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy will make his first start on the PGA TOUR since winning the TOUR Championship, and he will be joined in the field by former major winners Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry.
The Japanese charge will be led by Hideki Matsuyama, while the likes of Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau and Gary Woodland will be looking to capitalize on improved recent form.
All in all, 78 players will tee it up at Narashino, with ten of the very best from the Japan Golf Tour joining the top 60 available players from last year’s FedEx Cup standings and eight sponsor exemptions.
This Week’s Course Preview
A new tournament on the schedule means a new course to get to grips with too.
The Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, to give it its full title, looks – at first glance – to be a classic, almost American parklands track, with lush green fairways and thick tree-lined fairways.
Indeed, there isn’t a huge amount that quantifies this as a gold course in Asia: the small greens are Bentgrass too, and this track would not look out of place in parts of the USA or Europe.
Playing as a Par 70 at around 7,041 yards, Naroshina features just three Par 5s and five Par 3s, and the doglegging fairways will ensure that bombers are unlikely to have things all their own way.
Water is only in play on four holes, but where it is these are big lakes that fringe fairways and greens, so there could be some trouble ahead. The green complexes are also protected by cleverly located bunkers, and their small stature means that some chipping is likely to be unavoidable.
Of course, at this stage we don’t have too much to go on, but for now Naroshina looks to be a fair test of golf that is neither US Open-esque in its complexity nor a complete walk I the park either.
One last thing: many of the holes on this course have two greens: A and B. Yes, it’s highly unusual, and any player who lands on the ‘wrong’ green is allowed a free drop.
Weather Forecast for Chiba, JPN
It’s a fairly disappointing weather forecast that greets us this week.
There’s rain in the mix for all four days, with Thursday and Friday being the chief culprits, and at times these downpours could be heavy.
The temperatures are a bit of a let down too, with the mercury ranging between 66-73°F.
The only relief for the players is a relative lack of wind, with the breeze unlikely to exceed 8 mph at any point in proceedings.
Last Year’s Results for the ZOZO Championship
Well, this is awkward: this is of course the first ever hosting of the ZOZO Championship.
For what it’s worth, this event is essentially replacing the CIMB Classic on the schedule.
That tournament was played in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, and in its final edition in 2018 Marc Leishman romped to a five-shot victory – thanks to a second round of 62, by and large – over a chasing pack of three in T2: Emiliano Grillo, Chesson Hadley and Bronson Burgoon.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for ZOZO Championship this Week
If you want to take a step back this week in your gaming as we get to know this new event and course, that’s perfectly understandable. Even so, there’s still plenty of strong contests to get involved in.
- PGA $50k Club Twirl: A cool $10k is the jackpot prize here for players entering this $8, multi-entry game. If you want some skin in the game at a low outlay, this could be the contest for you.
- PGA $200k Best Ball: With a new course, there are plenty of gamers in the dark this week. Make your research count by entering this $44 contest – you could take home the $50k top prize.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the ZOZO Championship
A new tournament, at a track that the majority have never seen before, means we have to take something of a leap of faith this week.
All we can do is work with what we know. This is a tight, tree-lined golf course with holes that dogleg left or right, so we’re looking for premium shot-shapers who can find fairways at will.
Remember: approach shots are being played into small, well-protected greens, so finding the right part of the fairway to get the best angle in is essential.
As a Par 70 we need guys who are comfortable making scores on the standard holes, being making birdie or saving par, rather than being heavily reliant on the Par 5s.
And comfort putting on Bentgrass will also be a huge advantage.
For this week, we’re also particularly keen to get on board those who blew off the cobwebs at the CJ Cup last week in conditions not all dissimilar to those that we are expecting come Thursday.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the ZOZO Championship
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the ZOZO Championship
Top Tier Pick:
Justin Thomas (Odds: 7/1, FPPG: 112.2, GPFP: 145.82 Salary: $11,800)
One of the most prolific champions on planet golf, JT also has the knack of turning in brilliant performances in consecutive weeks.
Scan back to 2017 and you will note he won both the Sony Open and Tournament of Champions in consecutive starts, and later in the same year he triumphed in the PGA Championship and Dell Technologies just three weeks apart.
In 2018 he was at it again, winning the Honda Classic and finishing solo second at the WGC-Mexico a week later, and of course his victory at the CJ Cup last time out followed a win in the BMW Championship three starts ago.
In short, Thomas is not a guy to write off as somebody likely to suffer a champion’s hangover.
It’s quite possible that this Narashino layout will suit too given that he is one of the best shot shapers around, and as was the case when we drafted him last week the motivation to be the number one ranked player in the world continues to drive JT forward.
Key Stats:
- Birdie Average – 1st
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 2nd
- Putting Average – 7th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Adam Scott (Odds: 28/1, FPPG: 92.5, GPFP: 101.75 Salary: $9,900)
Nothing if not conscientious, Adam Scott warmed up for the ZOZO Championship by taking part in the Japan Open Golf Championship, where he finished T5.
That is excellent prep from a player who is a four-time winner on the Asian Tour, and whose experience in this part of the world could prove invaluable this week.
The Australian has been playing very nicely lately, including that brilliant run in the FedEx Cup play-offs where his formline read 5-9-5.
Comfortable on Bentgrass and in the presence of trees, there’s a lot to like about Adam Scott’s chances this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 4th
- Scoring Average – 7th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 10th
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Joaquin Niemann (Odds: 50/1, FPPG: 81.4, GPFP: 78.94 Salary: $8,200)
Last week must have been one of the first times that Joaquin Niemann has played golf in Asia.
But he certainly didn’t duck the challenge, and in fact an opening round of 65 suggested a strong liking for the conditions.
He tailed away from there at the CJ Cup before recording a solid T12 finish, and we’re confident the Chilean can improve on that in Japan.
A Bentgrass specialist, Niemann is another who shapes the ball well and so thick tree-lined are not an issue. Nor is the Par 70 status of the track: he is just as happy shooting red numbers on Par 4s as the longer holes.
Already a PGA TOUR champion despite barely being out of his teenage years, Niemann has the motivation to kick on and add more silverware to his collection.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 1st
- Scoring Average – 1st
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 5th
Mid-Tier Pick #3:
Corey Conners (Odds: 80/1, FPPG: 69.0, GPFP: 72.45 Salary: $7,200)
Events with small greens, where extra precision is required on approach, suit Corey Conners down to the ground.
He is a flusher of the golf ball, and while putting can be something of a problem there aren’t many other than the absolute elite who can match Conners from tee-to-green.
The Canadian is even more of interest this week because of his T12 return last week in South Korea, and that’s because he won’t have played much golf outside of North America. He wasn’t perturbed by new surroundings, languages and so on.
We fully expect Conners to be one of the breakout stars of 2020, and there’s no time like the present to make himself known to a wider audience.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 1st
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 9th
- Scoring Average – 66th
Low-Tier Pick:
Harold Varner III (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 81.7, GPFP: 80.07 Salary: $6,800)
In we go again with Harold Varner III, who posted four rounds under par at the CJ Cup.
He never quite kicked on and competed in South Korea, but it was a decent ‘sighter’ ahead of a more positive showing in Japan.
Having performed so well in the Australian PGA Championship on a number of occasions, Varner is clearly comfortable in the southern hemisphere, and a love of Bentgrass greens also bodes well.
Another who won’t fear the small, well protected greens at Narashino, there could be a really good showing from the world number 113 in Japan.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 19th
- Scoring Average – 20th
- Scrambling – 21st
Sleeper Pick for the ZOZO Championship
Shugo Imahira (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: NA, GPFP: NA Salary: $7,100)
For an event played in Japan, we might as well get on board the best player on the Japan Golf Tour.
Shugo Imahira is a supremely impressive 27-year-old, a three-time winner in Japan who looks ready to make the leap to either the PGA or European Tour.
And talk about being in form: in his last seven starts in Asia, Imahira’s worst finish is T12!
He doesn’t have a huge amount of experience in big ‘cross tour’ events like this, but as something of an unknown quantity he could well be an inspire sleeper pick this week.
Key Stats: N/A
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the ZOZO Championship
Danny Lee (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 72.9, GPFP: 88.18 Salary: $6,900)
There was a rare opportunity for Danny Lee to get involved in the business end of the tournament last week, and didn’t too much wrong at all in what would have been a unique experience for him playing in the final group.
He couldn’t quite catch Thomas on Sunday but he was still under par, and these ‘close but no cigar’ experiences can often have a positive effect on a player.
The Kiwi has been around on the PGA TOUR for a long time now, occasionally threatening to break through, and much of his best work actually comes outside of the US: that solo second at the CJ Cup backed by winning the Johnnie Walker Classic in 2009, a solo second at the Mayakoba in Mexico and the Puerto Rico Open plus T3 at the Scottish Open.
Outside of America, Lee has a habit of thriving, and so there’s no reason why he can’t double-up on the Asian Swing this time around.
Key Stats:
- SG: Tee-to-Green – 17th
- Scoring Average – 37th
- Scrambling – 66th
This Week’s Sample DraftKings Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2019-2020)
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