After a two-week stay in Las Vegas, the PGA Tour will play host to its’ second straight no-cut event at a temporary home. Tiger Woods is the ZOZO Championship’s defending champion, but he won in Japan at the Accordia Golf Narashino Golf Course. Because of Covid-19, the ZOZO will be moved to the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA.
FanDuel has only six golfers priced at $11,000 or above for the CJ Cup. FanDuel provides DFS players with a salary cap of $60,000 to select six golfers for an average roster spot of $10,000. Jon Rahm is the only golfer in the 12K range priced at $12,000. Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are close behind at $11,800 and $11,700, respectively. Last week’s runner-up, Xander Schauffele ($11,600), and Webb Simpson ($11,300) round out FanDuel’s top-five highest priced golfers.
Work at having a solid process week in and week out as opposed to getting bogged down by recency bias or the ups-and-downs of the weekly golf grind. Any golfer is capable of winning (e.g. Jason Kokrak last week at the CJ Cup). Whether you win or lose, golf is one of the most entertaining fantasy sports to follow because you get four days of action. Good luck and, most importantly, have fun!
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Tournament Notes
- Note: Even though this tournament is played in 2020, it is considered part of the 2021 PGA Season. It is part of the wraparound season (Fall swing). This can get confusing when looking at course history or past events. The years referenced in this article will refer to the actual year the event was played as opposed to the PGA season it was a part of.
- The CJ Cup ZOZO Championship is normally played at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club Japan, but this year will be played at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, CA. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course is a par 72 measuring 7,050 yards.
- From 2000-2013, it hosted the Tiger Woods Hero World Challenge.
- There are only 78 golfers scheduled to tee it up this week’s no-cut event.
- This is one of the few courses that has five Par 5s and five Par 3s. All of the Par 5s range from 520-570 yards.
- The bentgrass greens are multi-tiered and quick, rating out as a 12.5 on the stimpmeter. They also are a little smaller than normal.
Course Fit & Key Statistics
Overall Statistics
My customized overall stat model measures all stats (driving, approach, short game, putting, etc…) from both a short-and-long-form standpoint. It should be noted that I consider putting but it is weighted lower than the other factors. The best golfers, in terms of stats, for my customized model this week (in ranked order) are Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Daniel Berger, Viktor Hovland, Webb Simpson, Matthew Wolff, Harris English, and Russell Henley.
Recent Form
The golfers that rate out the best in my customized recent form model (in ranked order) are Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Harris English, Russell Henley, Webb Simpson, Matthew Wolff, Sungjae Im, Mackenzie Hughes, and Joaquin Niemann. Xander Schauffele is the golfer coming into this week with three straight top-five finishes. In fact, no other golfer in this field comes in with even back-to-back top-10 finishes. The closest would be Joaquin Nieman, Webb Simpson, and Justin Thomas, who all come in on the heels of a top-10 and a top-15 finish in their last two events.
No-Cut Events
In a no-cut event, scoring matters more than cut-making ability. Each golfer is guaranteed to play four rounds of golf. One bad round doesn’t necessarily doom a golfer (or your lineup). In looking at the last 18 no-cut events played the past two years, the best golfers (in ranked order) are Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Sebastian Munoz, Patrick Reed, Scottie Scheffler, and Matthew Fitzpatrick.
Par 5 Scoring
With five Par 5s on the course, it will be essential for golfers to take advantage of these scoring opportunities. Three of the Par 5s measure between 520-540 yards, while the other two measure 569 and 572 yards. The 10 best golfers on Par 5s (based upon both long and short-term form) are Jon Rahm, Daniel Berger, Tony Finau, Cam Smith, Xander Schauffele, Mackenzie Hughes, Jason Kokrak, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay, and Matthew Wolff.
Official World Golf Ranking
All the statistics and course history are good to know but sports (in particular, DFS golf) oftentimes comes down to betting on talent and playing the best overall players. Sure, salary is involved but fitting as many of the world’s best golfers in your lineups increases your chances for success. According to the OWGR, the best ten golfers in this field (in ranked order) are Jon Rahm (No. 2), Justin Thomas (No. 3), Collin Morikawa (No. 4), Rory McIlroy (No. 5), Xander Schauffele (No. 7), Webb Simpson (No. 8), Tyrrell Hatton (No. 9), Patrick Reed (No. 10), Matthew Wolff (No. 12), and Daniel Berger (No. 13).
Favorite $11,000+ Plays
Xander Schauffele ($11,600)
I am not opposed to any of the top three priced golfers this week as they are all studs. Justin Thomas has struggled on the greens and if he could get that figured out, he’d be my pick to win. However, Xander is the king of no-cut events and so he is my favorite high-priced guy this week. He has finished first or second in five of his last 10 no-cut events, including the last two (CJ Cup and TOUR Championship). He has a strong overall game but has been putting lights out the last couple of months. He should carry a lot of ownership this week, so you will have to differentiate your lineup elsewhere. He is the most-expensive golfer on DK and “only” the fourth most-expensive on FD so if you want to play him, that might be something to keep in mind. He’s cheaper here on FD, but might carry less ownership on DK. In the last 24 rounds, he ranks first in fantasy scoring, total strokes gained, short game, and putting. For what it’s worth, Xander is Data Golf’s number one player in the world.
Webb Simpson ($11,300)
He had a great 2019-2020 season, which included three wins on Tour. He has started this new season with a T8 at the U.S. Open and a T13 at the Shriners. This course should favor his accuracy and all-around game. Plus, he is always a threat to go low with his elite skills around the green. Overall, he has top-15 finishes in all but two of his last 10 events. Obviously, at this price you are wanting more than a top-15 finish out of him, but that statistic just reinforces how consistent he is. You roster Simpson for safety with some upside built in.
Favorite $10,000 Plays
Tyrrell Hatton ($10,900)
Hatton finished T3 and his price stayed the same. We were able to get him at low ownership last week and I hope you took advantage of that as I don’t think we’ll be as lucky this week. In his last 18 starts worldwide, he has 13 top-20 finishes, including nine with finishes of T6 or better. He also has three wins during that stretch of events.
Matthew Wolff ($10,200)
He let down a lot of people last week with his terrible performance. He pretty much did nothing right and I am hoping this keeps people off of him. I am going to chalk it up as just a bad tournament and instead focus on the way he’s been playing for the last few months as more of an indication of where his game is at. In the 10 events prior to the CJ Cup, he had finished T4 or better four times. Two of those were in major championships (U.S. Open and PGA). In the last 24 rounds played, he is fifth in fantasy scoring and sixth in total strokes gained. Overall, other than Hatton and Wolff (more ownership than anything else), I will be avoiding this range. Instead I will be mixing and matching the 11K golfers with my favorites from the 8-9K range. With that said, however, other 10K golfers I may consider playing are Patrick Cantlay ($10,500), Hideki Matsuyama ($10,500), and Daniel Berger ($10,000).
Favorite $9,000 Plays
Harris English ($9,800)
Another high finish (T10) for English last week and his price only increased $200, so I will naturally be going back to him again. If you’ve been playing him the last few months, then you’ve been happy and have no reason to get off him. He had 13 top-20 finishes in the 2019-20 season. He now has two top-10 finishes in his three starts this season. In the last 24 rounds played, he is eighth in fantasy scoring and ninth in total strokes gained. He will be a staple in most of my lineups in all formats.
Joaquin Niemann ($9,700)
With a strong (and accurate) off the tee game combined with his trending form, Niemann is poised for a good week. Since his disappointing performance at the TOUR Championship, he has gotten progressively better each week 27 > 23 > 13 > 6. That T6 at the CJ Cup was relatively quiet, but he did everything right. He struck the ball well and knocked in putts. He has demonstrated an ability to put low rounds together and score in bunches. It really is just a matter of whether he pops with his putter in a particular week.
Matt Fitzpatrick ($9,600)
He didn’t light the course on fire, but he had a respectable T12 last week, but his price came down $400. There were no red flags to keep me from playing him this week. In fact, this week might be even better because it is a shorter course, and he is not just getting off an international flight. Overall, he has been pretty good or has missed the cut recently. Fortunately, this is a no-cut event, so I guess that means he’ll do well if the trends hold true. In his last seven PGA starts, he has three missed cuts, three top-6 finishes, and then the T12 last week. Two of those top-six finishes were at no-cut events also. In the last 24 rounds played, he ranks eighth in total strokes gained and 11th in fantasy scoring.
Russell Henley ($9,200)
In the last 24 rounds played, he is fourth in total strokes gained and 13th in fantasy scoring. He is quite possibly the best ball-striker in the world and lately has started finding his putting stroke again. I do not expect him to gain nine strokes on the green like he did last week in finishing T3 at the CJ Cup. However, I do expect him to continue hitting ball well and giving himself birdie chances. Henley has a top-20 finish in half of his last 12 starts, including five top-10 finishes. Other 9K golfers that I may consider this week are Joaquin Niemann ($9,700), Scottie Scheffler ($9,300), and Jason Kokrak ($9,000).
Favorite $8,000 Plays
Sebastian Munoz ($8,700)
His ninth-place finish last week gave him a top-10 finish in each of his last three no-cut events. In fact, he has five straight top-20 finishes in no-cut events. He is a birdie maker and is playing well right now. His price is much higher than we are used to seeing but that is okay because of his tremendous ability to score.
Taylor Gooch ($8,200)
His T5 last week was pretty impressive as he was clicking in all categories. He has been playing well for an entire year, so this isn’t an outlier. He is top 10 in the field in birdie-or-better percentage in the last 24 rounds. Even if he doesn’t finish in the top five this week, he still is typically a golfer that scores more fantasy points than his finishing position would suggest.
Lanto Griffin ($8,100)
His T7 last week gave hm his fourth top-20 finish in his last five no-cut events. He is a birdie maker that can score in bunches, especially when he doesn’t have to worry about the cut. He is solid on the greens but really makes a name for himself with his iron. He is one of best ball-strikers in the field. Other golfers in the 8K range that I like this week are Cam Smith ($8,600), Ryan Palmer ($8,200), Cam Champ ($8,100), and Kevin Streelman ($8,000).
Favorite $7,000 Plays
Mackenzie Hughes ($7,900)
He struggled last week but I am going to go right back to him this week. He is ranked ninth in fantasy scoring over the last 50 rounds played. He is an elite putter, but his ball-striking has been improved during the last few months. Going into last week, he had top-15 finishes in six of 10 events, but then his putter failed him at the CJ Cup. This was extremely unusual for this birdie maker. He is an elite putter that had gained strokes on the green in 14 straight events. It was really weird. Just like I expect Jason Kokrak to go back to putting like Jason Kokrak (i.e. poorly), I expect Mac Hughes to do Mac Hughes things (i.e. make putts). In the 7K range, I will also be considering Corey Conners ($7,800), Byeong Hun An ($7,600), Joel Dahmen ($7,500), and Adam Long ($7,300).
View free betting picks for the Zozo Championship at BettingPros
Whether you’re new to daily fantasy golf or a seasoned professional, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Golf Glossary. You can get started with The Stats That Matter Most or head to more advanced strategy — like How To Use Vegas Odds To Generate Your Lineup — to learn more.
Jamy Bechler is a regular contributor to FantasyPros for NBA, NFL, and PGA. You can send him questions and follow him on his DFS twitter @WinningDFS101. When he is not playing DFS, Jamy is an author, host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast, and a leadership consultant, working with businesses and teams across the country (including the NBA). Even though he offers his advice on players and contests, after additional information and consideration, he may end up using different players and strategies than what he recommended in this article.
