Golf Tips: Best bets for ZOZO Championship and Andalucia Masters

• Steve Rawlings previews ZOZO and Andalucia
• Dave Tindall's each-way and FRL tips
• Matt Cooper's bets
• Stats and course info for both events

ZOZO Championship: Matsuyama to defend in his homeland

The PGA Tour visits Japan this week for the fourth edition of the ZOZO Championship and our man has the lowdown ahead of Thursday's early start...

Steve Rawlings says: "Tiger won wire-to-wire in 2019 and Matsuyama was in front at halfway having sat second after round one so it may pay to concentrate on the early leaders this week.

"The course ends with one hard hole and one easy one. The long par four 17th ranked as the hardest hole here in 2019 and it was the second toughest last year, whereas the par five 18th has been the easiest encountered in each of the two editions staged here. That's well worth bearing in mind if you're trading in-running on Sunday.

"With the 17th half a stroke harder than the 18th, anyone playing 18, and especially if they've driven and found the fairway, should be favoured over anyone behind them who still has the 17th to play...

"We saw two players contend strongly at venues at which they were familiar last week and I'm more than happy to play Matsuyama here at a course he clearly loves."

Steve's bet: Hideki Matsuyama @ 14/1 Sportsbook's Enhanced Win Only market

ZOZO Championship Each-Way Tips: Take Tyrrell for the win

Dave Tindall has three each-way tips and backs in form Tyrrell Hatton to win...

Dave says: "Hatton has finished eighth (Italian Open) and seventh (Alfred Dunhill Links Championship) in his last two starts and putted strongly in both. He gained over 4.2 strokes on the greens each time and ranked 9th and 4th respectively for SG: Off The Tee so drove it well too.

"The Chapultepec link certainly helps his case. The Englishman teed it up four times at the WGC-Mexico Championship and had finishes of 10-3-19-6.

"He has other bits of form on courses that should correlate well such as a third at Hilton Head and an 8th at Sedgefield and winning between the trees at Wentworth in 2020 adds another tick.

"Back the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational winner to make his course debut a winning one at 25/1."

Dave's bet: Back Tyrrell Hatton each-way @ 26.025/1

Find Me a 100 Winner: Count on Connor at Valderrama

Steve Rawlings looks at the outsiders ahead of this week's main events and tries to find a winner at a big price...

Steve says: "Scotland's Connor Syme, who finished runner-up at Galgorm Castle this year, finished tied for eighth in 2020 here, having led alongside eventual winner John Catlin after round one and having sat second to him at halfway.

"The 27-year-old is yet to win on the DP World Tour but he's trending in the right direction, and he's tasted success on the Challenge Tour.

"Syme was second to Callum Shinkwin at the Cazoo Open in Wales the week before he finished second to Ewen Ferguson in Ireland in August and after a quiet spell, he caught the eye again last time out when finishing in the top-ten at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship."

Steve's bet: Back Connor Syme @ 120.0

The ZOZO Championship 2022: Course and current form stats

This will be the third time that the ZOZO has been played at Narashino Country Club in Chiba as Andy Swales explains...

Andy says: "Narashino Country Club is located in the east coast city of Chiba, and just over 30 miles north-east of Tokyo city centre. This week's tournament will take place over a composite course, using holes from the club's King and Queen's layouts.

"It is a lush gently rolling tree-lined course that is extremely well bunkered, with water on five holes. Every hole has two available putting surfaces. Solid ball strikers, who can accurately guide their shots along the tight fairways of this parkland venue, should benefit most at Narashino.

"The key is to avoid the many heavily-wooded areas which run alongside fairways...

"Keegan Bradley is making his third trip to Narashino where he tied-seventh 12 months ago. On his most recent start, the current world No 44 finished four strokes behind the winner at the Sanderson Farms Championship."

Andy's Player to Watch: Keegan Bradley @ 34.033/1

Andalucía Masters: Rozner ready to win again

Steve Rawlings previews this week's DP World Tour event - the Andalucía Masters...

Steve says: "

The last three winners' rankings of 32nd, 28th and 66th for Greens In Regulation have very much gone against the grain as the previous eight course winners had an average GIR ranking of just 9.0.

"Hitting the tiny greens is important and getting up-and-down when they're inevitably missed is also key.

"Fitzpatrick and the 2019 winner, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, both topped the Scrambling stats and the first and second in 2020 ranked fifth and second, with Justin Harding, in tied third, ranking fourth.

"Although not right on the coastline, Valderrama often experiences windy conditions and that's another reason for the often higher than average scoring...

"I've had a saver on Matt Fitzpatrick but the one I like here is Antoine Rozner, who looks a perfect fit.

"The 29-year-old Frenchmen, who won the Golf In Dubai Championship in 2020 and the Qatar Masters in 2021, has been in great form of late with current figures reading 13-4-50-16-11-4 and he looks to be trending towards a third title."

Steve's bet: Back Antoine Rozner @ 36.0

Andalucia Masters Each-Way Tips: Take one direction with Ferguson

Matt Cooper has three selections with the Betfair Sportsbook paying seven places and thinks Ewen Ferguson can thrive between the trees...

Matt says: "

First pick is the Scotsman Ewen Ferguson who the column selected for the Made in Himmerland at the start of last month and who very nearly landed the win for us.

He eventually had to settle for second place, but it was more proof of just what a fine season he's had coming hot on the heels of his second win of the campaign.

"The first had come in Doha at the Qatar Masters, but the second in August was at Galgorm Castle in the ISPS Handa World Invitational.

"Since that course graduated to hosting DP World Tour events players with fine Valderrama records have thrived there - the likes of Aaron Rai, Jordan Smith, Alejandro Canizares, David Horsey and Daniel Gavins."

Matt's bet: Back Ewen Ferguson each-way @ 67.066/1

Andalucia Masters First-Round Leader Tips: Donaldson to dig it out

Fancy getting paid out after the first 18 holes? If so then the First Round Leader market is your friend. Dave Tindall previews.

Dave says: "Jamie Donaldson can often thrive in these conditions and has shown that with a 10th place two years ago and a fourth in 2017.

"It doesn't always come off for the former Ryder Cup hero but despite a few missed cuts he's posted sixth-place finishes at the Scottish Open and the Open de France in recent months.

"The top six at Le Golf National last month was fuelled by an opening 66 which put him fourth after 18 holes and Donaldson shot the same score on day one of the Made in Himmerland two starts earlier.

"Donaldson will appreciate the attritional conditions more than most and can hopefully give us something to cheer from his late 2.20pm tee-time.

"He's worth a play at 100/1."

Dave's bet: Back Jamie Donaldson each-way @ 100/1

Andalucía Masters 2022: Course and current form stats

Andy Swales fills us in on the iconic Valderrama course in Sotogrande and chooses his players to watch based on current form stats...

Andy says: "Valderrama has always demanded great accuracy from tee-to-green, and has an abundance of cork trees running alongside its narrow fairways.

"Water hazards are only present on five holes, although the venue's small, fast and undulating greens allow for little margin of error. Good course management is almost a prerequisite to performing well here.

"Avoiding the many large bunkers is another significant test when playing Valderrama which has hosted more than 25 events on the DP World Tour...

"The Belgian Thomas Detry tees-up in southern Spain on the back of three recent starts in the United States where he posted a brace of top-12 finishes. Is long overdue a maiden DP World Tour victory."

Andy's Player to Watch: Thomas Detry @ 36.035/1