So this week we go into the Zozo championship in Japan. The 4th event of the season and the blog's 2nd event of the season.
Shall we talk about what happened at the Shriners? As starts to the season go it couldn't have got much better. Quite clearly we have a new superstar in our midsts, and quite clearly odds of 22/1 and up won't be on offer for Tom Tank Engine Kim. Similar to Morikawa, Tom has dispersion numbers with his long irons equal to that of mid-short irons for other pros. This means his accuracy with a 4 iron will be the same as many pro's 6 and 7 irons, which is mental really, and whilst he doesn't have the length of Morikawa, what he does have is a putter which may as well be all black with a white tip (a magic wand - if you have to explain these things they aren't funny). A Hovland-esque demeanour, Morikawa-esque iron game, Brendon Todd-esque driver and a Denny McCarthy-esque putter is some combination. The battle with Cantlay last night was a real nerve jangler, but whilst Cantlay decided to go for a walk and hack around in the bushes, TK just stood in the fairway laughing and joking with his caddie, ultimately producing an anti-climax that was very very welcome profit of almost 200points!
On to this week, a 70 player event so smaller prices on the book in Japan and also be aware that you probably won't be able to watch this unless you are an owl! Tee times start just before midnight so the best chance of seeing any action (for normal people) is 7am!! I do like to see what I am following but course form, country form and current form have given me an insight and confidence on who to back this week.
Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, par 70, 7,079 yards is the host, and defending champion is home hero, Hideki Matsuyama. Now usually at his odds I couldn't ignore his chances, but question marks about his fitness have put me off.
Moving onto the main picks. If we look at the course, then the similarities to Wentworth, Muirfield Village and Augusta are obvious. Accordia golf course is tree-lined, tight, and beautifully manicured track. On the greens (of which the Japs like to have 2 per hole for some odd reason) the Bentgrass surfaces should be much quicker than the Bermuda last week, therefore probably suiting all players, so again this week putting won't be the overriding factor in my opinion. Covering that base and making excuses for picking 3 rubbish putters, let's start with a player who I expect to be the daddy on tour this year. Collin Morikawa is a juicy 14/1 this week, I think he wins a major and 2 or 3 events. 12 months ago somebody in his camp, who needs to book in for an MRI, decided that CM would fit hitting a draw. Besides the GOAT, Morikawa was possibly the best iron player of the last 25 years, hitting a small fade with a 4 iron or a 9 iron with similar accuracies, I described him pre PGA (where I backed him for his win) as the second coming, and now he has reverted to his originally game, how he learnt, how he played in college, how he won at Muirfield and at Harding Park. He did find some better putting consistency last year and despite not being able to keep it on the planet I think he will have learnt a lot, and especially on who not to listen to! It's a big build up for a week that won't top the player's lists this year, but in a strong field after a poor season I think he will be hungry for a good turnout and he is star quality. 6pts e/w top 7 Hills at 14/1 he's the big layout.
Next up is another player coming in to serious form post Presidents cup. After bending more steel (his putters) than Uri Geller, Si Woo Kim has now paired his outstanding tee to green prowess with one of those daft long putters. If you haven't played golf, then let me tell you putting, in my opinion, is all about confidence. SWK has been appalling with the flat stick for the last 4 seasons, since dominating at the Players in 2017 but he has appeared to found that mental serenity with his new fishing rod, and that could make him a real danger. Travelling near to home, the Eastern climate, the food, the culture, the surroundings and the course all pair with his form and at 28/1 top 7 with Hills I'm 4pt's e/w this week.
My last 2 picks both finished in the top 5 here last time out and they are picked for that reason and very different other reasons. First up is the mercurial Columbian Sebastian Munoz. One of the biggest disappointments for me last year was not seeing Seb at Augusta. He is always mega odds and loves the place, he shapes the ball for fun, he seems to play better when courses are tree-lined, he has great short game and this place fits his eye. At 40/1 top 6 with Skybet he is a no-brainer for me, he is very seldom this short, but he does seem to flourish in the smaller fields at Augusta so the stars seem to be aligned here......I'm very hopeful on this one so 3pts e/w.
Last but by no means least is the bad tempered Englishman who hasn't taken his 2018 European Tour form around the world as many expected but he is trending for the first time in donkeys! Matt Wallace tied 4th here last year, he had a top 10 in July at the Rocket Mortgages and has finished 21st and 28th in the last two weeks, where he hasn't hit the ball brilliantly but he has scrambled and putted well. This one is speculative, but I'm happy taking 80/1 top 7 places with Hills and burning 2pts e/w in the hope that this 10 time winner on various tours, enjoys travelling East again like last year.
In summary this weeks winners (lol) are:
Collin Morikawa 6pts e/w Hills 7 Places 14/1
Si Woo Kim 4pts e/w Hills 7 Places 28/1
Sebastian Munoz 3pts e/w Skybet 6 Places 40/1
Matt Wallace 2pts e/w Hills 7 Places 80/1