2023 Zozo Championship Preview, Picks & Analysis

KEEGAN BRADLEY returns to Japan to defend his Zozo Championship title. It was his first victory in four years and set him up for his best season in years.

And, after being overlooked for the Ryder Cup by captain Zach Johnson, the American will feel that he has a point to prove.

He shot a final round of 68 to end the week a shot ahead of Rickie Fowler, another who ended a drought this season and was chosen for Marco Simone.

Bradley raised both arms to the sky and had to choke back tears after clinching the victory with a tap-in on 18. He finished with a 15-under total of 265. Bradley bogeyed two of the last five holes, but came through with a key birdie putt on the 17th to give him a two-shot lead going in the 18th ahead of playing partners Fowler and Andrew Putnam.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy," Bradley said. “Things aren't easy for me normally.” He called the putt on birdied on 17 “one of the best holes of my life.”

Bradley won the PGA Championship in 2011 but since then it had been something of a struggle for one of the slowest, most deliberate players on the PGA Tour.

“This victory is high up there,” he said. “I really put a lot of work  and this is what I want to do. I want to win tournaments. I want to play Ryder Cups. I want to be in the conversation and this is a good start.”

Bradley's last victory had come in 2018 at the BMW Championship. This was his fifth Tour victory.

The Zozo, played at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo, is the only PGA Tour event in Japan. 

Once again there will be a world-class field. Apart from Bradley and Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Min Woo Lee, Akshay Bhatia, Collin Morikawa and home favourite Hideki Matsuyama are all heading to Japan.

As the FedEx Cup Fall season continues, a number of golfers know that they need big weeks if they are to retain their playing privileges for 2024. 

At the end of it all only the top 125 will be guaranteed full playing rights. Among those on the outside looking in are Cameron Champ, Chesson Hadley, Aaron Wise, Harry Higgs, Scott Piercy, Russell Knox, Webb Simpson and Ryan Moore.

Incredibly, Brandt Snedeker sits outside the top 200 in the standings. He is a nine-time winner but hasn’t had a top-10 finish since the Texas Open in April 2021. This season has been blighted by injury and more poor form.

Many of the players named above will be given sponsors’ invitations to a number of tournaments next year but if you are not playing regularly at the top level then it all becomes a huge struggle.

Champ was seen as one of the brightest prospects on the PGA Tour but admits that he has struggled with his mental wellbeing. Ahead of the Shriners, he had missed 17 cuts in 25 starts, although he did finish in a tie for ninth at the Sanderson Farms Championship and he was eighth in this tournament 12 months ago. 

Former US Open champion Simpson has endured an alarming slump. He is a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour but there have been nine missed cuts this season and just a couple of top-10 finishes. He is a three-time Ryder Cup player and won the Players Championship as recently as 2018. It just goes to show that there are no guarantees in this game.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2019 by Tiger Woods, in 2020 by Patrick Cantlay, in 2021 by Hideki Matsuyama and last year by Keegan Bradley.

The Course:

Accord Golf Narashine Country Club is a par 70 measuring 7,079 yards. Water comes into play on several holes. The tree-lined fairways are narrow and there are a lot of bunkers but keep the ball in play and there are plenty of chances for birdies.

Form Guide:

Keep an eye on Vincent Norrman, who has won on both the PGA and DP World Tours this year and is beginning to look like a proper prospect. Hideki Matsuyama will also want to put on a show for the home fans and has won this event before. But I really fancy Xander Schauffele’s chances of winning.

To Win:

Xander Schauffele. A course that should be made for him

Each Way:

Hideki Matsuyama. Will want to do it for the home fans

Each Way:

Vincent Norrman. Impressive young player

Five to Follow:

Xander Schauffele. Could do with putting the Ryder Cup in his rearview mirror

Hideki Matsuyama. Former winner, thrives on home soil

Vincent Norrman. Watch him soar up the rankings

Nicolai Hojgaard. Full of confidence

Min Woo Lee. Wonderful short game

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Keith Mitchell. Beautiful, fluid golf swing

Aaron Rai. Thriving on the PGA Tour

Aaron Baddeley. Needs the money to afford a haircut!

Satoshi Kodaira. Has had his moments

Takumi Kanaya. Exciting prospect