Sleeper Picks: ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Lucas Herbert(+130 for a Top 20) … The Aussie sits just outside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at 52nd. He wasn’t selected for the Presidents Cup but that didn’t prevent him from filing a fine performance last week at TPC Summerlin where he finished T20. It’s his fifth top 20 in his last eight starts worldwide, and it’s the kind of momentum that should ease any strain as he sizes up his first-ever title defense on the PGA TOUR in Bermuda at the end of the month. But first, the TOUR’s best putter of 2021-22 will take the stage in his debut at Narashino.

Adam Schenk(+250 for a Top 20) … He’s carved out his PGA TOUR career for what is now a sixth consecutive season with quantity over quality. He’s among the busiest on the board and he rarely follows one top 20 with another, so the 30-year-old is a candidate for a top-30 prop where you can find it because he recorded one in both of the previous editions of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Narashino. Finished T12 with a foursome of sub-70s at TPC Summerlin last week and finished inside the top five in fairways hit, greens in regulation and scrambling.

Matt Wallace(+275 for a Top 20) … Like Schenk, a top-30 consideration is smarter given he’s opened the 2022-23 PGA TOUR with two of them in as many starts. The Englishman didn’t qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs last season but he’s fully exempt via the top 125 in Eligibility Points, so he’s off to a nice start via the lifeline. He also finished T4 in his debut at Narashino last year but he’s in the field this week on a sponsor exemption, which often can generate additional inspiration not to squander the bonus.

Stephan Jaeger … The 33-year-old from Germany already is paying off his late surge to qualify for his first FedExCup Playoffs and keep his card on the third try. He’s opened 2022-23 with a trio of paydays and now has six straight dating back to the 5th-T13 at the finish line of the regular season. Ranked third in par-3 scoring last season. It’s a confidence-building weapon in his first look at Narashino and its set of five one-shotters.

Riki Kawamoto … Asian domination belongs to South Korea right now, but the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is staged in Japan and it’s poised to showcase its own talent. Among the rising stars is this 22-year-old who turned pro a little over 10 months ago. Two months prior, he prevailed in a tournament on the Japan Golf Tour’s developmental circuit. More recently, he’s scaled to sixth on the JGTO money list with a pair of victories on it since late August, the latter of which just two weeks ago. He leads his peers in distance off the tee and slots sixth in greens in regulation. It’s a timely reward that he’s qualified for the ZOZO, and given the relentlessness of youth nowadays, it’s reasonable to expect him to continue to put on a show in front of the home crowd.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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