Zozo Championship 2024: Course and current form stats

• Small greens and narrow fairways

• Matsuyama 8/19.00 to claim second Narashino title

• Kitayama 30/131.00 a strong each-way option

Tournament and Course Notes

• For the fifth time in its short history, the Zozo Championship will be played at Narashino Country Club. Once again, the tournament will be limited to 78 players, and there will be no 36-hole cut;

• Narashino is located in the metropolitan city of Chiba, and approximately 30 miles east of Tokyo city centre;

• Opened in 1965, Narashino Country Club is one of Japan's best-known layouts. This week's tournament takes place over a composite course, using holes from the club's King's and Queen's layouts;

• It is a lush and gently rolling tree-lined course that is extremely well bunkered, with water in play on five holes. Every hole has two available putting surfaces, which are generally smaller than the PGA Tour average;

• 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. There are also a handful of interesting dog-legs to manoeuvre the ball around;

• Narashino has hosted a number of top level events over the years, including the Japan Open (1977), Japan PGA Championship (1968) and Japan Airlines Open (1972). It was also the venue for the popular Suntory Open between 1974 and 1997.

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Good Current Form

Returning to PGA Tour action, following a short break, is Sahith Theegala 14/115.00 one of this year's most consistent players.

Theegala has played solidly since last season's FedEx Cup Play-Offs and is currently ranked No 13 in the world. His eight rounds at Narashino average 68.38.

His two most recent PGA Tour starts have both yielded top-10 finishes. This includes the Tour Championship at East Lake where he posted the tournament's second-lowest 72-hole total.

And Kurt Kitayama 30/131.00 might be worth backing each-way, having travelled to Japan following his tie-for-ninth in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The 31-year-old is a one-time winner on the PGA Tour.

Betfair Sportsbook

Good Course Form

All four previous winners at Narashino were already major champions.

And if that trend continues this week, then the winner will come from one of five golfers (Schauffele, Morikawa, Matsuyama, Thomas, Woodland).

Of this quintet, maybe Hideki Matsuyama 8/19.00 represents the best option, as the 32-year-old from Japan chases a second victory in this event.

He's won two prestigious titles on the PGA Tour this season, but hasn't competed over 72 holes since the Tour Championship.

Xander Schauffele 7/24.50 and defending champion Collin Morikawa 13/27.50 are also teeing-up for the first time (not including Presidents Cup) since September 1st.

Both players have competed in all four previous Zozo tournaments to be staged on Japanese soil.

The vastly improved Ryo Hisatsune 70/171.00 has twice posted top-12 finishes at this venue.

The Japanese golfer has already secured his playing rights on the PGA Tour for 2025, and is a decent e/w or top-10 choice this coming week.

Korean Sung Jae Im 14/115.00 is another player with a solid record at Narashino where he posted a podium finish in 2019.

Stroke Averages

Lowest Eight At Narashino (2019-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
68.00: Beau Hossler (8)
68.17: Sung Jae Im (12)
68.19: Hideki Matsuyama (16)
68.31: Collin Morikawa (16)
68.38: Sahith Theegala (8)
68.50: JJ Spaun (8)
68.75: Luke List (8)
68.75: Maverick McNealy (8)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
Only those entered this week are included in table

Check out our GENESIS CHAMPIONSHIP form stats

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves