The early golf season moves back to Japan this week for a unique tournament that still boasts some familiar names at the top. From returning champion Hideki Matsuyama to odds-on favorite Xander Schauffele to even a couple of crowd favorites like Colin Morikawa and Cameron Young, this field is not without some star power. That creates longer odds for some of the typical mid-range guys at a course that puts more emphasis on getting off the tee than putting. There are a couple of metrics that can be used to help determine the best longshot, be it driving accuracy or scrambling, allowing to focus on one area as more of a specialist.
Below we’re looking at the best 2022 Zozo Championship longshot golf bets for the week and trying to be the ones posting the HUGE PAYOUT screenshots on Twitter.
2022 Zozo Championship Longshot Golf Bets
Outright Winner Longshot Bet | RISK FREE Bet
The Zozo has a couple of unique quirks like the double greens but it’s truly about distance and accuracy off the tee. The longer hitters won’t be able to grip and rip, as fairways need to be strategically approached but distance is still important. Scrambling around the green has proven to be more important than actually putting at Narashino CC, so when choosing any longshot here it’s not as valuable as a metric. It’s also the one with the most variance across the entire sport. By honing in on a couple of important stats – be it early on tour – there are a couple of longshot golfers that stand out, most notably Patrick Rodgers.
The Stanford University product has played better in each of his last three events, including a T-28 finish last week at the Shriners. Rodgers is getting off the tee, improving from 31st overall to now 22nd following his trip to Vegas. There’s also the case of scrambling, as Rodgers remains top-50 (42nd overall) on tour. He’s been a familiar name on the Putting for Dough show with myself and Ben Rasa as a longer odds golfer to make cuts. His ridiculously long odds don’t reflect how much better he’s playing, nor the key fits he has for this specific golf course.
Best Longshot Outright Winner: Patrick Rodgers (+13000, DraftKings)
Check out putting for Dough on the OddsShopper YouTube page, where we discuss betting Montgomery
Outright Honorable Mention | RISK FREE Bet
This isn’t a typical course that’s seen on tour by the majority of golfers, nor are there many comp courses back in the states that match up with Narashino. Taking a longer shot who has past success and familiarity with this course may prove to be lucrative. There’s also good value in building a T-40 and T-20 ladder. Keita Nakajima is a young golfer with a lot of promise out of Japan. He finished 41st last year at the Hawaii, but more importantly T-28 last year at the Zozo. He has as small of a sample size as anyone in the back of the field, but he knows this course and is still a new betting commodity – something that can push back his odds even further. Ladder him starting at T-40 for +100 at DraftKings.
Longshot Outright Winner Bet: Keita Nakajima (+20000 DraftKings)
