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It appeared as if Hideki Matsuyama would head into the final round of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP with a commanding three-stroke lead. However, with a two-shot swing occurring on the par-5 18th, things have tightened ahead of the last day of play at Narashino Country Club.
Making bogey on the scorable closing hole, Cameron Tringale took advantage of Matsuyama’s mistake, carding a birdie and thus closing the gap. One-stroke behind the Masters Champion at 9-under, the duo has separated themselves from the rest of the field.
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As mentioned in yesterday’s article, Tringale will have plenty going against him on Sunday. Looking for his first career PGA Tour victory, the 34-year-old will need to get the better of the most popular golfer in Japan.
The oddsmakers at PointsBet Sportsbook sense Tringale could find trouble in the final round, as they have Matsuyama as the odds-on favorite, despite the lead only being one-stroke. In start No. 314, this may very well be Tringale’s best chance to capture his first title given it has turned into a two-man race so to speak.
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Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
-120: Hideki Matsuyama
+250: Cameron Tringale
+1600: Matt Wallace
+2500: Brendan Steele, Sebastian Munoz
+3300: Tommy Fleetwood
+4000: Collin Morikawa
+5000: Branden Grace
Round 4 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Sam Ryder (+209) over Chan Kim and Tom Hoge
I actually don’t mind Tringale given his number, but I can’t muster up the strength to side with him given his history. Instead, I will look to a three-ball as we have avoided them up to this point in the tournament.
Ryder will be our selection as the 31-year-old has continued to strike his irons well. Sitting in a tie for seventh in greens in regulation, Ryder is currently in a tie for 13th at 2-under. Finding the short-grass at a clip just north of 50.00 percent, he will need to improve in that department in order to avoid the big numbers that have hindered him thus far.
If he does, his iron play should only find more success. And while putting is typically his bugaboo, it looks steady this week, averaging 1.76 putts per green in regulation. Someone else who is putting quite well is Hoge who is 13th in said category for the week. Coming off a bogey-free, 4-under 66 in Round 3, I am comfortable in saying he comes back to life on the putting surface tomorrow.
Hitting less than 60.00 percent of fairways and greens, Hoge has taken an unusual route to his position on the leaderboard. As for Kim, outside of a four-hole stretch in Round 2 where he went 4-under, the week as a whole has not been fantastic. He’s been middle of the pack in nearly every statistic, so a mundane final round should give way to the heavy underdog in Ryder if all goes to plan.
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