Odds Outlook: Xander Schauffele favored over defending champ Collin Morikawa at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

The second half of the FedExCup Fall begins halfway around the world at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, and the field in Japan will be chasing a two-time major champ.

Xander Schauffele (+400) sets the pace at the top of the board according to oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook after a summer where the Californian broke through for the two biggest wins of his career. Schauffele followed his major championship victories at Valhalla (PGA Championship) and Royal Troon (The Open) with four straight top-10 finishes, including a T4 at the TOUR Championship in his last start. With world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler not teeing it up this week at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club, Schauffele has gained more shots tee-to-green than anyone else in the 78-man field.

Collin Morikawa (+700) is looking to become the first champion to successfully defend and win for the second time at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Opening with 64 and closing with 63 on the par-70 (7,079 yards), the Californian won the 2023 title on his fourth visit. Yet to lift a trophy in 2024, the reigning champion has posted four rounds of 65 or better from his 16 loops in Chiba, Japan, and owns two top-10 results. Like his schedule in 2023, Morikawa's last stroke play competition was at the TOUR Championship, where he cashed T4. Arriving in Japan this year with more momentum after his strong East Lake performance, he shines with fantastic play from tee to green. Hitting fairways and greens travels especially on a tight, old-school parkland layout.

Native son and 2022 champion Hideki Matsuyama (+850) also ran second to Tiger Woods in the inaugural event in the fall of 2019. Like the two favorites listed above, he has not played a stroke-play event since the TOUR Championship and is well-rested for the fifth edition of this event in Japan. The two-time winner in 2024, including the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August, will not be searching for form and has been healthy, a great combination entering the week. Being home since the conclusion of the Presidents Cup, he will not have to deal with jetlag or the time change.

With Korean Sungjae Im (+1400) sitting as the fourth choice, the ties to Asia and the Presidents Cup flow through the top of the board at BetMGM. Sharing third on his debut in 2019, he returned to Japan for T29 in 2022 and T12 last year. The Presidents Cup participant has not missed a cut since the U.S. Open in June, but the field of 78 at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will play all 72 holes in this no-cut event. In 12 loops at Narashino Country Club, the solid ball-striker has posted par or better nine times.

Sahith Theegala (+1800) has ties to Asia as both his parents are of Indian heritage. Born and raised in California, the 2023 Procore Championship winner has two runner-up paydays in 2024 but is still looking for a victory this year. Sticking around for the weekend in 21 of 25 events, his nine top-10 finishes trail only Scheffler (16) and Schauffele (15) for the most on TOUR. Cashing T5 on debut in 2022, the Presidents Cup representative returned in 2023 for T19 and added three more rounds of par or better.

A cursory glance shows Justin Thomas (+1800) as a former runner-up at this event. While correct, his T2 performance was at the 2020 edition at Sherwood Country Club in Los Angeles, not in Japan. Posting 65 in Round 4 of the inaugural edition, he secured a share of 17th place. There was a time earlier in the 15-time winner’s career that he was lethal in limited-field events in the Pacific Rim, including wins at The Sentry, THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES (twice) and CIMB Classic (twice) in addition to the Full-Field Event at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Already secure inside the top 50, the two-time major champion will look to close 2024 with his first victory since winning the PGA Championship for the second time in May 2022.

The two runners-up who finished six shots behind Morikawa last year, Beau Hossler (+2800) and Eric Cole (+4000), are in the field this week … Las Vegas resident Kurt Kitayama (+2800) cashed T25 in the Utah desert and followed with T9 last week from the final trio at TPC Summerlin … Min Woo Lee (+3300) cashed T6 here on debut in 2023 … Will Zalatoris (+3300) cashing T12 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and T13 at the BMW Championship suggests his surgically repaired back is behaving … J.T. Poston, the winner last week at the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin, is not in the field, but runner-up Doug Ghim (+4000), picking up his best career finish on TOUR, has made the trip.

Here's a look at other notable odds via BetMGM, including another Presidents Cup standout looking to get back to work and last week’s runner-up in Las Vegas:

• +3500: Si Woo Kim
• +4000: Doug Ghim, J.J. Spaun, Maverick McNealy, Eric Cole
• +4500: Andrew Putnam, Gary Woodland, Harry Hall, Max Greyserman, Seamus Power
• +5000: Chan Kim, Max Homa, Patrick Rodgers, Rickie Fowler, Tom Hoge
• +5500: Ben Griffin, Matt Kuchar
• +6000: Taylor Moore
• +6600: Adam Svensson, Jhonattan Vegas, Patrick Fishburn, Rico Hoey, K.H. Lee, Mac Meissner, Ryan Fox, Sam Stevens
• +8000: Andrew Novak, Ben Silverman, Kevin Yu, Mark Hubbard, Nick Taylor, Ryo Hisatsune, Victor Perez
• +9000: C.T. Pan, Justin Lower
• +10000: Chad Ramey, Charley Hoffman, Kensei Hirata, Takumi Kanaya

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