The PGA Tour returns to Japan this week for the Zozo Championship, an event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and Japan Golf Tour. Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, which sits just outside Tokyo, has been the host venue for four years, and it is already home to an impressive list of champions, including Tiger Woods, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and Collin Morikawa. Matsuyama and Morikawa will both return in search of their second Zozo victory, and they will be joined by the likes of Sungjae Im, Sahith Theegala, Min Woo Lee and recent two-time major champion Xander Schauffele.

Narashino is an old-school, narrow, tree-lined golf course with curving doglegs and small greens. Depending on turf conditions, it generally plays between 0.50 and -0.85 strokes under par, so birdies will be hard to come by. This week, I will primarily be looking for elite middle- to long-iron players with some valuable course history and experience playing in Asia.

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Let’s dive into the DraftKings slate. Here are my favorite plays and fades in each price range.

$10,000 range Play: Xander Schauffele, $11,500:

Christian Petersen

Although he has not won this event like Hideki Matsuyama or Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele remains the premier player in this field and a perfect fit for Narashino. Outside of ranking well above-average in all major statistical categories, Schauffele also ranks top-three in this field in recent approach play and long-term bentgrass putting, two skills that should pay massive dividends this week.

Fade: Sahith Theegala, $10,000:

With such a small $10,000 range, all options are suitable, but Sahith Theegala is my least favorite option of the bunch. Not only is Theegala a far less consistent approach player than Schauffele, Morikawa, or Matsuyama, but his performance at the recent Presidents Cup was shaky at best.

Watch our Monday Odds Drop video below for the 2024 ZOZO Championship:

$9,000 range Play: Sungjae Im, $9,800:

Sungjae Im remains one of the most well-rounded players in the field, and he is my official pick to win this week. In three appearances at Narashino, Im has recorded two top-12 finishes, including a third in his debut. Similar to a Xander-lite, Im consistently gains across the board in all four major categories, and it is a matter of if, not when, before more wins start coming.

Fade: Si Woo Kim, $9,100:

Si Woo Kim will be making his first appearance since the Presidents Cup, where his play was a little up and down. While Narashino makes sense for Kim on paper, he has very much underwhelmed here, failing to finish top 15 in all three of his appearances at the Kinya Fujita design.

More from Golf Digest Read The Line Zozo Championship odds 2024: The sneaky value bet our PGA pro loves in Japan $8,000 range Play: Maverick McNealy, $8,800:

Justin Casterline

After a slow start to the fall swing, Maverick McNealy finished 16th at the Shriners last week, gaining over four strokes off the tee and over a stroke on approach. This was McNealy’s best driving performance of the season, and now he returns to a familiar golf course in which he has has finished 25th and 12th in both of his appearances.

Fade: Seamus Power, $8,100:

Seamus Power was incredibly disappointing last week at the Shriners, missed the cut despite catching the advantageous side of the weather draw. Power now travels to Narashino for the first time in his career, with little prior playing experience in Asia. I’ll gladly pass this week on the Irishman.

$7,000 range Play: Gary Woodland, $7,800:

David Becker

After an up-and-down 2024, Gary Woodland is beginning to find form again. The 2019 U.S. Open champion is coming off a ninth-place finish at the Shriners, where he gained 1.7 strokes off the tee, 5.1 strokes on approach, and even more encouraging, 3.7 strokes putting. Ball-striking has never been an issue with Woodland, but a newfound confidence with his flat-stick leaves me incredibly optimistic.

Fade: Chan Kim, $7,500:

Chan Kim certainly has some ball-striking chops, but his performance last week left a lot desired. Kim failed to make the cut at TPC Summerlin, even coming from the more advantageous wave, and I have major concerns about his ability to keep up on the fast bentgrass greens.

Flier: Adam Svensson, $7,300:

Don’t be surprised if Adam Svensson rises to the top of the leaderboard this week, as he possesses all the tools to succeed at Narashino. The Canadian is one of the stronger overall ball-strikers in this field, and he has already recorded two top-25 finishes in the Fall Swing.

$6,000 range Play: Lee Hodges, $6,800:

Orlando Ramirez

Lee Hodges has already recorded two top-25 finishes in both of his finishes at Narashino, and he remains one of the stronger middle-iron players in this field. While he fell back to earth at the Shriners last week, this is an excellent bounce-back spot for a player who gained over six strokes on approach just two weeks ago at the Black Desert Championship.

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Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for Run Pure Sports, RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com