The best betting props for the 2020 Zozo Championship

The Zozo Championship is a co-sanctioned event by the PGA Tour and the Japan Golf Tour that was due to be played in Tokyo, but due to current restrictions has moved to California and the Sherwood Country Club. The golf course is a Jack Nicklaus classic and celebrity members of the club include Caitlyn Jenner, Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, and Kenny G! My friends, that is one hell of a four-ball!

The course is only 30 years old, but we’ve seen plenty of it courtesy of the Tiger Woods World Challenge, which was held here between 2000 and 2013. The course is relatively short at just over 7,000 yards but its quirks come in the five par fives and five par threes.

Going through the stats we’re going to be looking for someone with excellent iron play who is good around the greens, and anyone who has some course form is going to appeal to me. As always, I’ve kept an eye on the players that perform well in California, or on similar Jack Nicklaus courses, and that leads us to four tempting prop bets.

Top 20 finish: Cameron Champ (+350)

Cameron Champ doesn’t arrive in California in red-hot form, he followed up a couple of missed cuts at the US Open and the Shriners with a 42nd in the CJ Cup in Vegas last week. However, he is a local lad with some nice California form – finishing in the Top 10 at the PGA Championship in August at Harding Park, while his win in the Safeway Open in 2019 was also in the Golden State.

Champ is one of the longest off the tee on tour, which is going to be an advantage with these five par fives, but more importantly is his approach play last week. He ranked second in the CJ Cup for strokes gained: approach the green, and if he can bring that form home he can play himself into contention.

While his recent form doesn’t inspire too much confidence, there are only 78 players in this field and +350 for a Top 20 finish is a tempting bet.

Group B winner: Webb Simpson (+330)

One of the most interesting pieces of course correlation you might come across here at Sherwood is with the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town in South Carolina. Vijay Singh, Darren Clarke, Geoff Ogilvy, Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker, Graeme McDowell, Zach Johnson, and Keegan Bradley all won the World Challenge at Sherwood as well as posting a Top 3 finish in the RBC Heritage.

So that has me looking at Webb Simpson. He’s played 11 events at Harbour Town, posting seven Top 25 finishes, three Top 10 finishes, and won the renewal of that event in June of this year setting the course record! Add that to a fifth and a seventh placed finish in the World Challenge at Sherwood and it’s proof the course will suit.

Simpson finished eighth at the U.S. Open and then took a short break before returning with a 13th place finish in the Shriners in Vegas. There isn’t much juice backing him to finish Top 10 (+175) or Top 20 (-165), but the price is worth taking on him winning Group B where Collin Morikawa will be the big danger.

Top English player: Tyrrell Hatton (+175)

I’ve waxed lyrical about the links to the Harbour Town course, and in that RBC Heritage event this year that Simpson won, but who was just behind him in third? Tyrrell Hatton. The hoodie-rocking Englishman is in scintillating form after winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth earlier in the month and finishing third in the CJ Cup.

Hatton ranked first in the CJ Cup for shots gained: approach the green, and overall this season he is third in Par 3 scoring average, which will be massively important here.

Matthew Fitzpatrick put up a decent showing in the CJ Cup finishing 12th in Vegas and might be the biggest danger in this market, but I’m happy to be on Hatton. Tommy Fleetwood shot an opening round of 77 in the CJ Cup and hasn’t looked up to much, while Justin Rose’s recent form is equally uninspiring. Paul Casey has some decent course form, finishing third in the World Challenge here in 2010 and 2011, but he was awful in Vegas seven days ago.

Top Australian player: Cameron Smith (+250)

Followers of this column would’ve seen this exact bet click last week as Smith finished 11th in the CJ Cup – a result that could’ve been even better had it not been for a disappointing round on Friday.

That finish came off the back of a Top 25 in the Shriners, and in both events Smith has been neat and tidy around the greens, and electric on the dance floor. He ranked 11th for shots gained: putting in the CJ Cup, and if he can keep the flatstick hot it’ll keep him in the mix here.

Adam Scott is playing his first event since finishing 38th in the U.S. Open, and may need to blow away the cobwebs, while Jason Day had to withdraw from last week’s event in the final round with a neck injury. Marc Leishman could spring a surprise, but I’m happy to reinvest again on Smith.