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A fourth ZOZO Championship but just a third at the Accordia Narashino Country Club after the second edition (2020) was forced to re-locate to California. Those first two PGA Tour visits to this parkland course outside Tokyo have been quite the occasions and mean that this year has something to live up to. In 2019 Tiger Woods claimed the trophy amid slightly odd circumstances (a storm forced the vast crowds from the property and they flocked to the wire fences, watching from there). Last year home hero Hideki Matsuyama landed the title, perhaps aided by the presence of Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa, both of them American but with strong family heritage in the country and consequently sharing the weight of media responsibilities with the eventual winner. That trio return this week and Schauffele is in the best nick. He won a trio of titles in the summer and more recently added third place in the BMW Championship plus good golf in both the Tour Championship and Presidents Cup. Morikawa ended last year with a win in the DP World Tour Championship but has struggled in 2022 with just one second and three fifths. Matsuyama was flying after the win last year and added the Sony Open title straight after the New Year, but injury has wrecked his hopes since and he doesn’t have a top 10 since the US Open in June. What of the course? Rory McIlroy is always a decent guide and he said very straightforwardly: “Tight and tree-lined.” He added: “It’s a great course, in great condition, the greens are so pure, and it sort of reminds me a little bit of the course we play in Mexico, Chapultepec.” Why so? “Tree lined, the doglegs and having to cut off corners.” There is another tricky factor: the grass. There is Zoysia on the fairways and in the rough. Of the latter Jason Day said: “I’ve never played rough like this. The blade of grass is so huge.” Of that Woods said that you can get “monster flyers”. Morikawa explained: “You don’t have to hit driver at all. It’s really important to hit the fairways. Even though the rough isn’t super long, it’s still penalizing into small greens.” And of the putting surface Schauffele added: “Slopier than I anticipated. Coming downhill, I putted it off like three or four greens in the practice round, which was a little shocking.”
Angles to consider 1/ The Firestone Factor Tight and tree-lined, small greens. Sounds like Firestone Country Club. Woods and Matsuyama have won there as well as here at Narashino. Other Firestone winners? Keegan Bradley has finished 13th and seventh, Rory McIlroy third, Shane Lowry 13th, and Justin Thomas fired the low score in 2019’s final round. 2/ Stats We have no Strokes Gained stats from the two events. There were stats from 2019 but limited ones for 2021. However, in 2019 Woods ranked third for Greens in Regulation and Matsuyama seventh. Nine of the top 12 ranked 13th or better. Last year Matsuyama hit 82% of greens, more than anyone hit two years before. Cameron Tringale, who was tied second, hit 74%.
Selections The above angles have been used to create a shortlist from which the following players are selected. Tom Kim The sport’s new sensation with two wins in his last four starts plus a superb showing in the Presidents Cup. He’s very good from the teebox, very fine with his approaches and he’s won within the trees. Can he go back-to-back? Why not? Keegan Bradley Bradley was not just a winner at Firestone – he loved it there. He was 15th on debut (the halfway leader), then first, second, fourth and 17th. Little wonder he has been 13th (third at halfway) and seventh here. He closed last season with the first round lead at the BMW Championship and opened this campaign with fifth at the Sanderson Farms Championship last time out. Aaron Rai Last season was his rookie effort on the PGA Tour and he ranked 23rd for hitting greens and 16th for finding fairways. He carded a superb 62 in the third round last week and he’s good between the trees. In fact, he was a winner of the Hong Kong Open so has an Asian victory in such conditions.
Tips: 1-2; +35.60pts 1pt e.w. Tom (Joohyung) Kim at 16/1 (Boylesport 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 25th 1pt e.w. Keegan Bradley at 33/1 (William Hill 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) 1st 1pt e.w. Aaron Rai at 80/1 (Skybet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6) 36th
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