Following 20-year-old Tom Kim's win at the Shriner's Children's Open in Las Vegas, the South Korean moves up to No. 15 in the world golf rankings. He's one of seven top-20 players in the field for the 2022 ZOZO Championship in Japan. The country's favorite golfer Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion.
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club is a private club in Chiba, Japan. It is pristine and picturesque golf courses limited to 78 players for the 2022 event. The par 70 course plays to 7,041 yards and has a unique layout with five par 3's and three par 5's, and every hole includes two sets of greens – one bentgrass and the other a Bermuda/Zoysia blend. Narashino is a stern test from tee-to-green, and there is no Strokes Gained data available from ShotLink. Matsuyama won last year's event at 15-under par, but just three players finished -7 under par or better.
ZOZO Championship Dark Horse Picks 2022
But beyond the'leading favorites'on FanDuel's odds to win , there are some dark horses who offer more value as capable contenders.
With longshots in mind, here are three dark horses that could make a run'at'the leaderboard and come away with a high finish or victory on Sunday. Check out the ZOZO Championship odds, prop bets and'top finishing position odds'on FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Keegan Bradley (+2900)
Bradley says he loves this course, and it's showed with a T-7 finish last year and T-13 in 2019 when he shot even lower while also carding a 63. He likes tree-line courses, and hitting driver more often suits him to a tee. So does th e rain and softer conditions. Bradley putts better on bentgrass, and ranks top-10 in this field in putting over his last 36 rounds. Add in solid Off-the-Tee and Tee-to-Green stats and performance, and Bradley can contend for a top finish again as his game travels well.
2. Sebastian Munoz (+4000)
Munoz finished T-4 here last year, and recall he finished T-3 in Japan at the Olympics. The 29-year-old Columbian thrives on tree-lined classical courses, and he enters with more confidence having beaten Scottie Scheffler in Sunday singles at the President's Cup.
3. Adam Schenk (+10000)
Schenk has finished T-22 and T-28 in his two prior appearances at the ZOZO. He enters in solid form off a T-12 last week in Las Vegas. Under the radar is that Schenk has the 6th best strokes gained stats at Narashino Country Club of the 17 golfers playing the course for the third time. His odds are the longest of the group and we take note of his dark horse potential to cash in with a top-10 finish also returning +800.