2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP First-Round Leader Updated Odds, Expert Picks: Tommy Fleetwood & Sebastian Munoz Among Value Plays

2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP First-Round Leader Updated Odds, Expert Picks: Tommy Fleetwood & Sebastian Munoz Among Value Plays article feature image
Credit:

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images. Pictured: Tommy Fleetwood.

  • The PGA TOUR heads to Japan this week for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.
  • 78 players are in the field, and our analyst has three first-round leader bets for you to consider.
  • Check out Matt Vincenzi's picks and analysis below.
Click arrow to expand 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP odds via bet365
Player NameOdds
Xander Schauffele+800
Sungjae Im+1100
Hideki Matsuyama+1100
Collin Morikawa+1400
Tom Kim+1400
Cameron Young+1600
Viktor Hovland+2000
Tommy Fleetwood+2200
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
Corey Conners+2800
Keegan Bradley+2800
Si Woo Kim+2800
Tom Hoge+3000
Cameron Davis+3500
Mito Pereira+3500
Sahith Theegala+4000
Maverick McNealy+4000
Sebastian Munoz+4000
Sepp Straka+4000
Scott Stallings+4500
Kurt Kitayama+5000
Kyoung-Hoon Lee+5000
Matthew Nesmith+5000
Davis Riley+5500
Christiaan Bezuidenhout+5500
Lucas Herbert+5500
Emiliano Grillo+6000
Mackenzie Hughes+6600
Mark Hubbard+7500
Rickie Fowler+8000
Taylor Moore+8000
Kevin Streelman+8000
Andrew Putnam+8000
J.J. Spaun+8000
Aaron Rai+10000
Brendan Steele+10000
Wyndham Clark+10000
Luke List+10000
Matt Wallace+10000
Troy Merritt+11000
Stephan Jaeger+11000
Alex Smalley+12500
Adam Svensson+12500
Patrick Rodgers+12500
Russell Knox+12500
Hayden Buckley+12500
Cameron Champ+14000
Adam Long+14000
Martin Laird+14000
Joel Dahmen+14000
Adam Schenk+14000
Dylan Frittelli+14000
Beau Hossler+15000
Satoshi Kodaira+15000
Kazuki Higa+15000
Ryo Hisatsune+15000
Tomoharu Otsuki+16000
Lee Hodges+17500
Brandon Wu+17500
David Lipsky+17500
Shugo Imahira+17500
Yuto Katsuragawa+17500
Takumi Kanaya+17500
C.T. Pan+20000
Sam Ryder+20000
Rikuya Hoshino+20000
Peter Malnati+22500
Chez Reavie+25000
John Huh+25000
Riki Kawamoto+25000
Mikumu Horikawa+27500
Keita Nakajima+30000
Hiroshi Iwata+30000
Chad Ramey+35000
Danny Lee+35000
Naoyuki Kataoka+35000
Aguri Iwasaki+35000
Kaito Onishi+35000

The PGA TOUR fall season makes its way to Japan for just the third time in history to play the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Narashino Country Club. 

In the first two editions of the tournament at Narashino, two legends took home the trophy. Tiger Woods, who is a legend in any country who appreciates golf, and Hideki Matusyama, who is one of the most famous athletes in Japan, claimed each victory.

In the past two editions of the tournament, there have been three first-round leaders or co-leaders. All three of them have had morning starting times. However, with a smaller 78-man field this week, all of the players will be teeing off in the AM. Tee times will be fairly close together, so I don’t believe we can gather much predictive information based on tee time. 

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ZOZO Championship First-Round Leader Picks

Tommy Fleetwood +3500 (DraftKings)

First-Round Tee Time: 10:51 a.m. GMT +9

Tommy Fleetwood is an excellent fit for Narashino Country Club. He finished in a tie for seventh at the event last year and showed the ability to get off to a strong start, posting an opening round 67. 

Fleetwood got out of the gates hot last month at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, coasting to the first-round lead. He’s struggled of late to put four rounds together but he can go as low as anyone on TOUR for one round at a time. Therefore, I really feel as though the first-round-leader market is the correct way to invest in the Englishman until he proves he can get into contention again.

Sebastian Munoz +4000 (DraftKings)

First-Round Tee Time: 10:29 a.m. GMT +9

Sebastian Munoz was a surprise at the Tokyo Olympics. At Kasumigaseki Country Club, the Colombian played his way to a playoff for the bronze medal. He once again proved his ability to play well in Japan at the 2021 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, where he finished in a tie for fourth. He shot a second-round 66 thanks to his ability to make birdies in bunches. 

I thought about backing Munoz in the outright market this week, but since we’ve seen the very top players in the field rise to the top in these type of small field, no-cut events, it seems prudent to give the 29-year-old a shot as first-round-leader instead. 

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Keita Nakajima +10000 (DraftKings)

First-Round Tee Time: 9:56* a.m. GMT +9

Last year, we saw a Japanese player, Hiroshi Iwata, grab the first-round lead by shooting an impressive 63 on Thursday. There is no doubt that players who have played their whole life in Japan have an advantage being acclimated to the agronomy and climate of the region. In such a strong field, the best players will eventually rise to the top, but I do believe that some Japanese players will start out strong. 

The player who caught my attention this week was the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world, Keita Nakajima. The 22-year-old played in the event last year and finished in a tie for 27th place. 

Last week at LIV Bangkok, the former No. 2 ranked amateur golfer in the world Eugenio Chacarra outlasted several proven players to win the event. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a player with enormous talent such as Nakajima get involved this week at Narashino Country Club.

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About the Author
Matt is a contributor of PGA content for the Action Network and FantasyLabs. He specializes in PGA Tour betting and Golf DFS. Please follow him at @MattVincenziPGA

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