Zalatoris, Champ and Na commit to ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Tournament officials confirmed today that 2021 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris, five-time TOUR winner Kevin Na, Cameron Champ and Europe’s Ryder Cup stars Paul Casey, Shane Lowry and Lee Westwood will compete in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba from October 21-24, 2021.

It was announced earlier that reigning Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, Olympic Games gold medallist Xander Schauffele, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood will headline Japan’s lone US$.9.95 million PGA TOUR tournament.

Ticket to attend the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will be on sale online from October 5. Due to safety prevention protocols, 5,000 fans will be permitted to attend the tournament rounds daily. Fans will require a ZOZOTOWN ID/Membership to purchase tickets via https://zozochampionship.com/ticket.html and Lawson Tickets on https://l-tike.com/sports/zozochampionship

Travis Steiner, Executive Director of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, said: “It is tremendous that the field for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will truly showcase an eclectic line-up of global golf stars from the PGA TOUR. It will be amazing for golf fans in Japan to have the opportunity to watch stalwarts from the U.S. and European Ryder Cup teams in action. Tickets will also go on sale from October 5 and we would like to encourage fans to purchase early.”

Zalatoris, 25, is amongst the new crop of rising stars in American golf. During the 2020-21 PGA TOUR Season, he amassed an impressive eight top-10s including a runner-up finish behind Matsuyama in the Masters Tournament in April and was subsequently voted as Rookie of the Year by his peers. Long-hitting Champ, 26, claimed his third PGA TOUR victory at the 3M Open in July and will be making his second appearance at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP after finishing tied eighth at Sherwood while 38-year-old Na is fresh off a career high third place in the FedExCup in early September. He will be making his third appearance at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, with a T28 last year being his best result.

The tournament will showcase a 78-man field who will compete over four rounds with no cut. As Japan’s first official PGA TOUR event, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was successfully launched at Narashino in 2019 when Tiger Woods claimed the inaugural title with a three-shot victory over Matsuyama en route to equalling Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA TOUR victories. In 2020, the event was moved to the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic where Patrick Cantlay secured a one-shot win at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California for the first of four victories during a standout 2020-21 PGA TOUR season in which he won the TOUR’s ultimate prize, the FedExCup.

This year’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will include the leading players from the 2020-2021 FedExCup, players designated by the Japan Golf Tour Organization, the top finishers of the Bridgestone Open on the Japan Golf Tour and sponsor exemptions. The tournament will be broadcast to 216 countries and regions around the world. In Japan, TV Asahi will broadcast the event live on their terrestrial, BS and CS channels throughout the four-day tournament, while GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR will provide coverage on its digital platform. As in previous years, part of the tournament’s proceeds will be donated to charitable causes.

As a full FedExCup tournament, the winner of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will earn 500 FedExCup points and will be fully exempt through the PGA TOUR’s 2023-24 Season. The event will be co-sanctioned once again with the Japan Golf Tour Organization.

Tournament officials are working closely with the Japanese government to come up with a health, safety and prevention plan which will allow golfers to travel into Japan. All aspects of the tournament will be made in consultation with the Japanese government, local prefectural and city governments.

For more information on the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, please visit ZOZOCHAMPIONSHIP.com.