Who NOT to Take in DraftKings: The ZOZO @ Sherwood

I skipped last week’s column – I rejected any tournament that insists on being in all caps (CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK), uses the @ symbol, and is at Shadow Creek, which is sort of a holocaust of a golf course in terms of the things I value and want golf to represent.

Also, I forgot.

I did NOT forget to submit a lineup, however, and it was just as bad as usual. So it’s either your win or loss that I forgot to promote that lineup here. Sadly, this week has also defaulted to the @ symbol which is a disturbing trend. But, the tournament returns to Sherwood, which is something I love that the tour is doing. The ZOZO is typically in Japan, which became untenable with COVID-19, so the tour had to scramble – but when there are no crowds, you can go to a place like Sherwood.

I have never played the course – it’s private and nowhere close to where I live – but I remember it well from the 1999 Showdown at Sherwood. I know we get all hyped and over-excited about the content opportunities from things like The Match, The Match 2 and The Match 3…and while I could rail on about folks trying to get a WEE bit more clever with those names, I’m all in on more opportunities for non-tournament golf events.

Did you miss that tournament back 21 years ago? Fine. The course is actually named Sherwood because two different Robin Hood movies were filmed, partially, on property. The opening helicopter scene from the tv show M.A.S.H.? Yep, also filmed over this area. Dukes of Hazzard was filmed here before it was turned into a golf course. These genuinely fun facts were cribbed directly from this article on PGATour.com.)

Anyway, onto the ZOZO. From what I remember and understand, Sherwood is a relatively shorter course that favors accuracy, so that’s coloring my picks here.

I’m leaning into it, in fact, taking Collin Morikawa ($9,800), Viktor Hovland ($9,200) Tommy Fleetwood ($8,500) and Abraham Ancer ($7,800) for their accuracy, and adding in Joaquin Niemann ($8,400) and rookie Japanese sensation Takumi Kanaya ($6,300) just for fun.

Guys, I LOVE this lineup. Fleetwood is the old man at 29, and the other guys can’t possibly average an age over 24. (I’m not going to do the math.) It’s a no-cut event, so I know I have these guys each for four full rounds.

This is an ominous sign, of course, but with a course as special as Sherwood and a lineup thats youngry (yes, I said it) like this, I feel GOOD. Let’s roll.