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PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP on DraftKings

By Alex Hunter @Hunta512
Oct 21, 2024

We make our way to Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club (par 70, 7,079 yards, bentgrass greens) in Chiba, Japan, for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. This tournament debuted in 2019 and Accordia CC has hosted four of the five editions of this event. Due to the pandemic, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was played at Sherwood CC outside of Los Angeles in 2020. Collin Morikawa is the defending champion of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, winning at -14 a year ago by a convincing six strokes. This week’s field consists of 78 golfers, and there will be no cut.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!

Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.

Tool Highlights

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DraftKings $10,000+ Range

Collin Morikawa ($10,500) – The $1,000 gap between Xander Schauffele and Morikawa is just too large, and taking the savings with Morikawa makes the most sense for roster construction this week. Morikawa won the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at Accordia CC by a whopping six shots last season, including a final round 7-under 63, which was the lowest score of the tournament. This win marked his second top-seven finish at Accordia in the last three years and Morikawa last competed at the TOUR Championship in August, when he was the low scorer of the playoff finale at -22. Morikawa has produced five top-five finishes in his last 10 starts, and a repeat win at Accordia CC is absolutely on the table for the 27-year-old this week.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Sungjae Im ($9,800) – Im has carded two top-12 finishes in three appearances at Accordia CC, and he returns to Chiba in outstanding form. In his last 15 starts, Im has only finished outside the top 12 twice. Additionally, the 26-year-old has shot even par or better in 29 of his past 32 rounds. Im warranted a salary over $10,000 this week and is easily the best choice in this thin $9,000 range.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Beau Hossler ($8,900) – After finishing T16th at Accordia CC in 2022, Hossler finished runner-up to Morikawa at the venue a year ago. Of all the players in this field who have competed at Accordia CC at least twice, Hossler ranks first in strokes gained per round at the par 70, via the Rabbit Hole. The veteran clearly loves Accordia’s untraditional layout and Hossler returns to the track playing some of the best golf of his career. In his last five starts, Hossler has finished T12th, MC, 2^nd, 11^th and T23rd. The 29-year-old has shot under in eight straight rounds and has top-five upside this weekend.

J.J. Spaun ($8,300) – Spaun continues to be underpriced for his safety and is a strong target for cash games. The veteran has made nine cuts in a row, and seven of these finishes have come inside the top 30. Spaun has remarkably gained strokes on approach at 13 straight tournaments – he ranks 18^th in SG: Approach for the season – and he has finished T25th and T6th at Accordia CC the last two years.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Andrew Putnam ($7,900) – Putnam nearly won the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, finishing one shot short of winner Keegan Bradley, and Putnam is fresh off a T16 finish at the Shriners Children’s Open last week. The veteran closed this event with a 7-under 64 and this marked his third top-25 finish in his last five starts. Plus, when we compare this field’s last 12 rounds, Putnam ranks 13^th in SG: Approach and 11^th in par-3 efficiency, setting him up well for Accorida’s untraditional layout that features five par 3s. Of the four winners at this par 70, three have finished at least runner-up in par-3 efficiency during their wins.

Gary Woodland ($7,800) – Woodland has been awesome this fall, finishing T16th at the Sanderson Farms Championship and T9th at the Shriners Children’s Open in his last two starts. The former major champion’s ball striking has been the reason for success, with him gaining at least 5.0 strokes on approach at both of these events. Woodland ranks top-six in both SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and if he can have an even remotely decent showing with his flat stick this week, Woodland has the potential to finish inside the top 10. In his lone visit to Accorida CC in 2019, Woodland finished T5th.

Matt Kuchar ($7,400) – Kuchar has never competed at Accordia CC before, but he is a strong fit for the second-shot course and is in undeniable form, with four top-15 finishes in his last five starts. For the first time this season, Kuchar gained strokes across the board last week at the Shriners Children’s Open, and he ranks seventh in SG: Approach when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds. In fact, Kuchar has only failed to gain strokes on approach once in his last nine starts. The 46-year-old has always been an efficient putter on bentgrass and needs to be rostered at this low salary.

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DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range

Lee Hodges ($6,800) – Hodges has finished inside the top 25 at each of the last two ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, and he should get back on track at Accordia this week after missing the cut at the Shriners Children’s Open. Hodges still gained strokes on approach despite being sent home early from TPC Summerlin last week and before this, he had finished T8th at the Black Desert Championship, while ranking fifth in SG: Approach in the process. Hodges ranks fifth in the metric when we compare this field’s last 12 rounds, and he is the best sub $7,000 target available for the cash game this week.