After a sensational run at the Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour is finally in Japan for the no-cut ZOZO Championship, scheduled to be played from October 19th to October 22nd at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Inzia, Chiba. This will be the third time that this course hosts the championship. With a whopping $8.5 million purse up for grabs, this tournament has a lot in store when it comes to extra benefits.
This is the fourth event in the FedEx Cup Fall schedule that started off this year, which means that the winner will get all the same benefits as the regular events, in addition to a two year exemption and 500 FedExCup points. The field will house a total of 78 players, 16 of whom are part of the top 50 in the world rankings.
Power Rankings, Defending Champion and More
Keegan Bradley: Playing to defend his title is Keegan Bradley, who returns to the green after his T11 finish in the Tour Championship in late August. This was followed by what could’ve been a Ryder Cup appearance, but turned out to be a narrow miss, leaving Bradley “super bummed out.” The PGA Tour pro has had a good year with a Travelers Championship win under the belt. He will definitely be a player to lookout for this week.
Xander Schauffele: Following closely is World No. 6 Xander Schauffele, who managed finished 2nd at the Tour Championship two months ago. Schauffele was also part of the losing Ryder Cup team, and will be accompanied by two other team-mates – Colin Morikawa and 2022 ZOZO Championship runner-up Rickie Fowler, in Japan.
Hideki Matsuyama: All ready to set the crowd on fire is 2021 ZOZO Championship winner, Hideki Matsuyama. The PGA Tour pro will be aiming to get a win on his homeland, and is a strong contender for a victory. Defeating Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele in 2021 by an impressive five shot lead, Matsuyama will be hoping to repeat history by scoring a win.
Sungjae Im: Another strong opponent in the field is South Korean golfer Sungjae Im. With a team gold medal at the Asian Games with partner Si Woo Kim, for which he was awarded a military exemption, the World No. 26 is on a winning high. He also finished at T2 at the at the Genesis Scottish Open back in July.
Rickie Fowler: With a smashing well deserved win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic this year and seven Top 10 finishes, including a T5 finish at the U.S. Open, Rickie Fowler is coming in hot especially given his T2 finish at the ZOZO Championship last year.
Also, heading on strong into the championship are Fortinet Championsip winner Sahith Theegala and Charles Schwab Challenge winner Emiliano Grillo.
Prize Money Distribution and Purse for the ZOZO Championship
The tournament offers a purse of $8.5 million, of which the winner will be taking home a sizeable $1.5 million. Below is the prize money distribution for the event:
| Position | Prize Money |
| 1st | $1,530,000 |
| 2nd | $918,000 |
| 3rd | $578,000 |
| 4th | $408,000 |
| 5th | $340,000 |
| 6th | $306,000 |
| 7th | $284,750 |
| 8th | $263,500 |
| 9th | $246,500 |
| 10th | $229,500 |
| 11th | $212,500 |
| 12th | $195,500 |
| 13th | $178,500 |
| 14th | $161,500 |
| 15th | $151,640 |
| 16th | $142,460 |
| 17th | $133,960 |
| 18th | $125,460 |
| 19th | $116,960 |
| 20th | $108,460 |
| 21st | $99,960 |
| 22nd | $93,160 |
| 23rd | $86,360 |
| 24th | $79,560 |
| 25th | $72,760 |
| 26th | $65,960 |
| 27th | $63,410 |
| 28th | $60,860 |
| 29th | $58,310 |
| 30th | $55,760 |
| 31st | $53,210 |
| 32nd | $50,660 |
| 33rd | $48,110 |
| 34th | $45,985 |
| 35th | $43,860 |
| 36th | $41,735 |
| 37th | $39,610 |
| 38th | $37,910 |
| 39th | $36,210 |
| 40th | $34,510 |
| 41st | $32,810 |
| 42nd | $31,110 |
| 43rd | $29,410 |
| 44th | $27,710 |
| 45th | $26,010 |
| 46th | $24,310 |
| 47th | $22,610 |
| 48th | $21,250 |
| 49th | $20,060 |
| 50th | $19,380 |
| 51st | $18,870 |
| 52nd | $18,360 |
| 53rd | $18,020 |
| 54th | $17,680 |
| 55th | $17,510 |
| 56th | $17,340 |
| 57th | $17,170 |
| 58th | $17,000 |
| 59th | $16,830 |
| 60th | $16,660 |
| 61st | $16,490 |
| 62nd | $16,320 |
| 63rd | $16,150 |
| 64th | $15,980 |
| 65th | $15,810 |
| 66th | $15,640 |
| 67th | $15,470 |
| 68th | $15,300 |
| 69th | $15,130 |
| 70th | $14,960 |
| 71st | $14,790 |
| 72nd | $14,620 |
| 73rd | $14,450 |
| 74th | $14,280 |
| 75th | $14,110 |
| 76th | $13,940 |
| 77th | $13,770 |
| 78th | $13,600 |
Who is your pick to win this year?
