Rising stars Min Woo Lee and Will Zalatoris commit to ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

Tournament officials announced today that two of the PGA TOUR’s most exciting young golfers, Min Woo Lee of Australia and American Will Zalatoris have committed to play in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club in Chiba, October 24-27, 2024. The duo will join defending champion Collin Morikawa and two-time major winner, Xander Schauffele, who previously announced their commitments to play in the US$8.5 million showpiece. Ticket sales for Japan’s premier PGA TOUR tournament are available via https://zozochampionship.com/en/. “Golf fans in Japan will have the opportunity to watch two of the PGA TOUR’s most talented young players in Min Woo Lee and Will Zalatoris at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP next month,” said Travis Steiner, Executive Director of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. “This will be Min Woo’s second appearance in our tournament following an impressive T6 finish in his debut last year, while Will played in the 2021 edition and attracted large galleries thanks to his exciting style of golf. Along with Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, our field is shaping out nicely, and we plan to announce additional player commitments in the coming weeks.” Zalatoris, 28, has shown he is returning to his best form after being sidelined for much of 2023 due to a microdiscectomy on two herniated discs in his back. The one-time PGA TOUR winner qualified for the BMW Championship, the FedExCup Playoffs penultimate event, before ending his season in 38^th place. The World No. 54 registered three top-10s and three other top-25s this year and has often been touted as a future major champion, where he holds three runner-up finishes at the 2021 Masters, 2022 PGA Championship and 2022 U.S. Open.  “I’m excited to return to Japan and compete in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP again in October. When I played over there for the first time in 2021, I had a lot of fun both on and off the golf course and look forward to competing again in front of their great fans. I always enjoy playing in different parts of the world and am glad we have the opportunity to compete in Japan every year,” said Zalatoris, who finished T54 in the 2021 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Lee, 26, has emerged as a popular golfer on the PGA TOUR due to his attacking style of play which saw him produce two top-10s and six top-25s before finishing 60^th in the FedExCup rankings. Lee is also very creative and engaging on his social media channels where his “Let Him Cook” mantra has earned him thousands of new fans. A three-time winner on the DP World Tour, the World No. 42 has enjoyed his first full season on the PGA TOUR and came close to breaking through with a victory where he finished tied second in the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and Rocket Mortgage Classic. “After enjoying my first appearance at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP last year, I’m looking forward to coming back to ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club and challenging for a win. I had a great time competing on what I thought was a good test of golf, and playing in front of Japanese fans was a real treat as they are so supportive of the players. I look forward to putting on a good show for them, and hopefully taking home that nice trophy at the end of the week,” said Lee. Once again, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will feature a 78-man field who will compete over four rounds with no cut. As one of eight official FedExCup Fall events, it will include players from the top-60 of the FedExCup points list and designated players from the Japan Golf Tour Organization, which is a co-sanction partner. As Japan’s only official PGA TOUR tournament, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was successfully launched at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club in 2019 when Tiger Woods claimed the inaugural title with a three-shot victory over Hideki Matsuyama en route to equaling Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA TOUR victories. Patrick Cantlay won the 2020 edition when it was played at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California while Hideki Matsuyama produced a memorable home victory in 2021 – the same year he won the Masters Tournament to become Japan’s first male major winner – when the event returned to Japan. Keegan Bradley was triumphant in 2022, followed by Morikawa’s victory last year. Tickets for ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP are available via Lawson Ticket* with a variety of ticket packages ranging from 1-Day tickets, front row seats, 2 or 4-ticket packs and more. Tickets are sold in four phases, phase 1 has ended, phase 2 September 3 – 23, phase 3 September 24  – October 15, and phase 4 October 16 – 27. Up to two children under the age of 15 may enter for free with each ticketed adult. For more information on the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, please visit zozochampionship.com/en/. 

- Advertisement -