PGA TOUR - ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

With the ZOZO Championship being moved to Sherwood CC at Thousand Oaks, there is only one player I could possibly tip this week – defending ZOZO Champion, TIGER WOODS.

Sherwood, of course, was the venue for Tiger’s Hero World Challenge from 2000 to 2013 and the Big Cat’s record there is incredible. He won the event five times and was runner-up on another five occasions.

This will be Woods’ first event since the US Open, which has been his only start since the PGA Tour returned from lockdown. Despite the light schedule, Woods will be hard to knock-off on a course he knows intimately well.

Sportsbet odds: $29.

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy Editor

This is a seriously good field and I expect the cream to rise to the top here in the form of TIGER WOODS.

Tiger is almost the definition of horses for courses when it comes to tournament golf and there are few venues he has a better record at than Sherwood Country Club. On top of that, the fact that he is the defending champion will give the 15-time major champion a little extra motivation as he prepares to head to Augusta and defend his other 2019 title.

Sportsbet odds: $29.

RELATED: ZOZO Championship preview

Michael Jones – Golf Australia writer

Recent form aside – there’s not much of it anyway – TIGER WOODS is an easy pick for me at Sherwood.

The 15-time major champ has won here five times and recorded five runner-up finishes to boot. The big key is whether or not he can rediscover his lethal putting stroke. Look out if the putts start dropping.

Sportsbet odds: $29.

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

He struggled after the re-start but in recent weeks CAMERON SMITH has found some consistency.

A good Sunday at Shadow Creek jumped him up the leaderboard and he’ll arrive in California this week with some confidence, the key ingredient at this level.

It’s a strong field assembled at Sherwood Country Club but Smith is a proven big event player and he will relish the opportunity to mix it with the game’s best late Sunday.

Sportsbet odds: $71.

EURO TOUR - ITALIAN OPEN

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

The European Tour heads from the chill of St Andrews to the slightly warmer climes of northern Italy for the Italian Open. The Chervo club is a lengthy excursion but I don’t think that will trouble MATT WALLACE at all.

Fresh off his runner-up finish in Scotland, Wallace’s form has gradually improved across three starts he has had since the US Open in late September. Seven of his past eight rounds have been under par, which suggests he’ll be among the contenders this week.

Sportsbet odds: $11.

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy Editor

MARTIN KAYMER has three top-10s in his last five starts and I think he might finally get back on the top of the podium this week.

Rested after skipping the Scottish Championship in freezing conditions, the German will have taken plenty of positives from his T10 at Wentworth after two disappointing missed cuts and if he holes some putts will be right in this.

Sportsbet odds: $13.

RELATED: Italian Open preview

Michael Jones – Golf Australia writer

Former World No.1 LEE WESTWOOD has put together a run of five straight top-20s and I think he will cap it off with his first Italian Open title.

The 25-time European Tour winner still possesses an excellent all-round game and has been putting particularly well this season.

Sportsbet odds: $19.

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

He took last week off after an impressive runner-up finish to Tyrell Hatton at Wentworth a fortnight ago so VICTOR PEREZ will be fresh and ready to go when play gets underway in Italy on Thursday.

The impressive Frenchman – who makes his home in Scotland – looks to have all the tools to be a multiple winner on the European Tour and is a stand out in this week’s field.

Sportsbet odds: $13.

LPGA TOUR - DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

One of the most consistent performers on the LPGA since the Tour’s return has been Spain’s CARLOTA CIGANDA.

This will be her first start since finishing T3 at the Women’s PGA, her sixth Top-25 result in nine starts. Much of her success can be attributed to her wonderful iron play that has seen her hit 74.7 percent of greens in regulation this season.

If she can have a week where she betters her average 30 putts per round, she will be right in the hunt to win this inaugural event.

Sportsbet odds: $23.

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy Editor

We haven’t seen the best of MINJEE LEE in her last three starts and I think a little rest will have done some good and the West Aussie will come out firing this week.

Given most of the field will be unfamiliar with this week’s venue, Lee’s consistency from tee to green and extremely strong putting should hold her in very good stead as she chases her sixth LPGA Tour win.

Sportsbet odds: $14.

RELATED: Drive On Championship preview

Michael Jones – Golf Australia writer

Perth product HANNAH GREEN hasn’t been able to replicate her stellar 2019 season and hasn’t won on Tour for 14 months. But I’m guessing her boyfriend’s recent victory in Kalgoorlie will trigger some competitive energy and she will be right amongst it this week.

She showed plenty of fight during her defence of the Women’s PGA Championship and is too good a player to be kept out of contention for much longer.

Sportsbet odds: $41.

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

A new tournament on a new course and a less than full strength field all points to the potential for a first time winner in Georgia this week and JENNIFER KUPCHO might be just the player to fit the bill.

She was top-10 at the PGA a fortnight ago (including a super impressive Friday 65) and with five top five finishes on her LPGA resume she is ready to take the next step.

Sportsbet odds: $31.

PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA - NT PGA

Brendan James – Golf Australia Editor

Lots of pros from NSW, Queensland and South Australia are getting their first taste of competition in a long while this week. One of those is MICHAEL SIM, whose last start big event start was the Queensland PGA in February, which he won in a play-off.

Sim, on reputation alone, is certainly one of the main contenders this week in Darwin and I think he can go all the way and claim the title.

Sportsbet odds: N/A.

JIMMY EMANUEL – Golf Australia Deputy Editor

With almost no form to go on for any of the field this is a tough one, but it would be a huge surprise if ANTHONY QUAYLE didn’t find himself in the mix in the Northern Territory this week.

Originally hailing from the NT, the Gold Coast based Quayle will be keen to put in a good performance in his home state and having started the year extremely strongly pre-COVID, including claiming a maiden win, I believe it won’t take Quayle long to get comfortable in a competitive environment again.

Sportsbet odds: N/A.

RELATED: NT PGA preview

Michael Jones – Golf Australia writer

ANTHONY QUAYLE stands out to me here. The New South Wales-born, Northern Territory-raised Gold Coaster makes his fifth start on Tour this year and has recorded three top-15s, including his Queensland Open victory in February.

Sportsbet odds: N/A.

Rod Morri – Golf Australia magazine contributor and The Thing About Golf podcast host

For many in the field at Palmerston Golf Course this week will be their first competitive golf since the Covid pandemic hit in March but if you have to play somewhere after a long break then a course where you’ve had previous success might be the best place to do it. JORDAN ZUNIC has teed up in this event three of the four times it has been played and finished outside the top five just once.

His win at the inaugural title in 2016 was an impressive one and having followed up with a T4 result the following year he will be in a comfort zone of sorts when the tournament gets underway Friday.

Sportsbet odds: N/A.

2020 RESULTS

So far our so-called experts have combined to tip 15 winners in 2020, with 81 of their picks recording top-10 finishes that week and a best return of $29 for Adam Scott to win the Genesis Invitational (tipped by Brendan James and Jimmy Emanuel).