A trio of Presidents Cup stars from Team USA will make their 2022-23 PGA Tour debuts this week at the 2022 Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club near Tokyo. Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa headline the field as the only top-10 golfers set to tee off, while Cameron Young is a finalist for 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Schauffele, ranked sixth in the world, went 3-1-0 while No. 9 Morikawa was 2-1-0 to help Team USA to a convincing 17-12.5 victory against the Internationals. Young went 1-2-1 in his international team debut at Quail Hollow last month. Japanese golf hero Hideki Matsuyama aims to defend his title after going 15-under par, capping things off with an eagle on the 18th hole, to win by five strokes in 2021.
Schauffele is the 9-1 favorite in the latest 2022 Zozo Championship odds from Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Sungjae Im (12-1) and Matsuyama (14-1). Morikawa (14-1) and Tom Kim (14-1) also are among the top contenders in the 2022 Zozo Championship field. Before making any 2022 Zozo Championship picks, be sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from golf insider Patrick McDonald.
After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour.
He takes a measured approach to his outright selections and finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on those plays, having hit Cameron Smith (22-1) at the Tournament of Champions, Hudson Swafford (250-1) at The American Express, Joaquin Niemann (70-1) at the Genesis Invitational and Justin Thomas (66-1) live at the PGA Championship.
One of McDonald's longshot golfers at last week's Shriners Children's Open was a serious threat, with Tom Hoge (60-1) leading after the first round and firing a 7-under 64 on Sunday to end up tied for fourth. The expert also faded Max Homa, one of the favorites for the week, saying he would play well but not be a serious contender. Homa tied for 20th.
Now, McDonald has studied the 2022 Zozo Championship field and is locking in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all his PGA picks and predictions.
Top 2022 Zozo Championship expert picks
One surprise from McDonald this week: The expert is fading Corey Conners (26-1) despite his clear skill from tee to green. The Canadian's numbers in those areas indicate he should succeed at Narashino. He was ninth in total driving and 18th in strokes gained total in 2021-22, but it's his performance on and around the green that gives McDonald serious pause. He lost 1.5 strokes per round in those areas last season, ranking 131st in strokes gained around the green and 136th putting. McDonald isn't taking any chances and is looking elsewhere this week.
Meanwhile, McDonald is expecting a lot more out of Morikawa this season, and the two-time major winner's Presidents Cup performance has spurred optimism. Morikawa won those two majors before he turned 25, but he went without a victory last season, the first time he went a full campaign without one as a professional. Still, he showed flashes of his old form, finishing as a runner-up twice and making the top five at the Masters and U.S. Open. He finished seventh at last year's Zozo Championship and is 11-under over eight rounds at Narashino Country Club. See who else to pick here.
How to make 2022 Zozo Championship golf picks
Before this week's PGA Tour event in Japan, McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2022 Zozo Championship. He is backing several massive longshots to win, including one golfer who comes in over 100-1. You can only see all of the expert's picks at SportsLine.
So which 2022 Zozo Championship picks should you target? Which golfer priced over 100-1 could pull off a stunning victory this week? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top prop picks for the Zozo Championship 2022, all from the expert who ended last season up 42 units on outright plays.
2022 Zozo Championship odds, field, top contenders
See full Zozo Championship 2022 picks, best bets, and predictions here.
Xander Schaufele 9-1
Sungjae Im 12-1
Hideki Matsuyama 14-1
Collin Morikawa 14-1
Tom Kim 16-1
Cameron Young 19-1
Viktor Hovland 21-1
Tommy Fleetwood 26-1
Corey Conners 26-1
Tyrrell Hatton 27-1
Si Woo Kim 31-1
Saith Theegala 31-1
Davis Riley 37-1
Sebastian Munoz 37-1
Tom Hoge 37-1
Keegan Bradley 37-1
Sepp Straka 37-1
Scott Stallings 40-1
Cameron Davis 42-1
Mito Pereira 42-1
MacKenzie Hughes 42-1
Maverick McNealy 42-1
Kyoung-Hoon Lee 45-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 45-1
Brendan Steele 45-1
Matthew NeSmith 45-1
Lucas Herbert 45-1
Emiliano Grillo 55-1
Rickie Fowler 55-1
J.J. Spaun 55-1
Luke List 60-1
Andrew Putnam 60-1
Mark Hubbard 65-1
Aaron Rai 70-1
Hayden Buckley 70-1
Adam Svensson 80-1
Adam Schenk 80-1
Taylor Moore 80-1
Kurt Kitayama 80-1
Wyndham Clark 80-1
Cameron Champ 80-1
Stephan Jaeger 80-1
Alex Smalley 80-1
Russell Knox 95-1
Joel Damen 95-1
Dylan Frittelli 95-1
Kevin Streelman 95-1
Matt Wallace 95-1
Patrick Rodgers 95-1
Troy Merritt 100-1
Martin Laird 100-1
Kazuki Higa 110-1
Takumi Kanaya 110-1
Sam Ruder 110-1
Adam Long 110-1
C.T. Pan 120-1
Beau Hossler 120-1
Lee Hodges 120-1
Peter Malnati 140-1
Chez Reavie 140-1
Keita Nakajima 140-1
Brandon Wu 140-1
Danny Lee 160-1
David Lipsky 160-1
John Huh 160-1
Ryo Hisatsune 210-1
Chad Ramey 210-1