Another reshuffling of the PGA Tour schedule has this year’s edition of the ZOZO Championship taking place at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Last year the event became the first ever held in Japan. The plan is for the ZOZO Championship to return to its original host next year. In the meantime 78 players will tee it up at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course nestled at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains with defending champion Tiger Woods included. Woods won his record tying 82nd PGA Tour title at this event last year and is making his first start since missing the cut at the U.S. Open. Dustin Johnson, who opened as the betting favorite, withdrew on Monday over concerns about his recent positive COVID test. In his place Jon Rahm takes over at the top of the leaderboard, though the field is stacked with quality players. Be sure to visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Odds to Win ZOZO Championship at Sherwood at BookMaker.eu
Jon Rahm +1000
Xander Schauffele +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Justin Thomas +1200
Tyrrell Hatton +2000
Webb Simpson +2000
Patrick Reed +2200
Collin Morikawa +2200
Patrick Cantlay +2800
Matthew Wolff +2800
Tony Finau +3000
Hideki Matsuyama +3000
Tiger Woods +3300
Viktor Hovland +3300
Daniel Berger +3500
Harris English +3500
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3500
Bubba Watson +3500
Joaquin Niemann +3500
Adam Scott +3500
Tommy Fleetwood +4000
Jason Kokrak +4000
Sungjae Im +5000
Scottie Scheffler +5000
Russell Henley +5000
Abraham Ancer +5000
Jason Day +5500
Rickie Fowler +5500
Phil Mickelson +7000
Paul Casey +7500
Sebastian Munoz +8000
Billy Horschel +8000
Cameron Smith +8000
Brendon Todd +8000
Justin Rose +8000
Gary Woodland +8000
Brian Harman +9000
Jordan Spieth +9000
Odds Analysis
Tiger Woods +3300
It seems like I say this every time Woods is in the field: is it wise to bet against him? It has been lately since Tiger has done little to impress since last year’s ZOZO win. This week is different, a lot different. Sherwood is Woods’ home away from home having won the limited field Hero Challenge five times. He knows the course better than anyone out there and with DJ out of the mix there is one less challenge to overcome. I’m still hesitant, but dropping a few bucks on Tiger at his current price is worth it.
Harris English +3500
English hasn’t won on Tour since 2014 but he’s playing like a title is just around the corner. He overcame a disastrous opening 75 last week at Shadow Creek climbing into 10th by playing the last 54 holes at 13-under. He also grabbed a solo fourth at the U.S. Open last month and he has three top-10s among his nine top-25s across his last 11 starts. I’ll give him a pass for the MC at the Shriners since he did finish at -5. Consistent ball-striking will give him an edge at Sherwood.
Webb Simpson +2000
Another player who enjoyed success at Sherwood, Simpson is riding a nice wave of form onto a layout that’s yielded him at T5 and T7 in his last two Hero Challenge starts. He took last week off after opening the new season with a T8 at Winged Foot and a T13 at the Shriners. Simpson led the Tour in putts per GIR and adjusted scoring last season and he’s wielding wicked sticks so far this season. It’s hard to see that coming to a sudden end.
Russell Henley +5000
As I looked for value in players further down the odds list, Henley kept coming back to me. He was awesome with his putter at Shadow Creek leading the field in total distance of made putts helping him solidify a podium finish. And he’s been consistently good for some time with three top-10s in his last five starts. His season stats are in line for a good showing at Sherwood.
Joaquin Niemann +3500
Another value play is Niemann, who has flown under the radar recently despite some decent work. He started a run of five straight finishes inside the top-30 with a T3 at the BMW Championship and he’s gotten better in each of his three starts since the new season began. A T23 at the U.S. Open was followed by a pair of top-15s during the Las Vegas swing. Niemann led the field in GIR en route to a solo sixth at Shadow Creek. Apparently the young Chilean enjoys life out west.
Course: Sherwood Country Club – 7,073 yards, Par 72
Sherwood Country Club is the new host of the ZOZO and it plays short at less than 7,100 yards and par 72. However, it’s not new to the field having hosted the Hero World Challenge from 2000 to 2013 with Woods being the dominant player. Could that benefit the Big Cat this week? There are five par 5s on the lot with three of them distanced less than 540 yards. You would think birdie opportunities are abundant, and they are. During the unofficial Hero Challenge events three winners carded -20 or better. The greens are big and fast and primary rough is thick adding some defense to what is otherwise a favorable course to score.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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