Taylor Moore (-7) is the first leader of the ZOZO Championship. The American is one of those in need, not for the PGA Tour playing rights, which he has well secured, but to get into the top 60 of the FedEx Cup and thus ensure the first two designated events of next year, the AT&T Pebble Beach and the Genesis Invitational. Today’s manoeuvre has been strong, although there is still a long way to go.
The playing conditions have been good this Thursday at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. It hasn’t rained and the wind hasn’t blown, beyond a pleasant breeze. However, it cannot be said that the golfers have torn up the course. The Japanese course defends itself well, with its narrow fairways and hard greens. It’s a course to be well-tuned with the putter, as it’s not easy to leave the ball close, but the surfaces roll so well that you can hole quite a bit.
Moore has a one-shot lead over Max Greyserman (-6), Eric Cole (-6), and Nico Echavarría (-6). The latter, the Colombian, is indeed playing for his card and needs a very good result.
The ZOZO Championship has been the chosen stage for some of the main players of the PGA Tour to shake off the rust and compete again. The rust has been noticeable, especially in the number one in the forecasts, Xander Schauffele (+3). It can be said that the double Major champion in 2024 has been left without chances of victory, tremendously hampered by a situation of bad luck managed in a very erratic way.
His tee shot on the 9th hole ended with the ball stuck to a tree, deeply embedded among roots, really ugly. Instead of dropping, the World Number 2 tried to play it… twice. He barely moved it on both occasions and ended up dropping with a penalty. He finished the hole, a par 4, in eight strokes. Crushing. It matches his worst start of the year, another 73 at Pebble Beach back in February. The performances of Max Homa (+3), Hideki Matsuyama (+1), Sungjae Im (PAR), or Min Woo Lee (PAR) have also been quite mediocre.
Someone who doesn’t seem to have been affected by the absence from competition is Justin Thomas (-4). The Kentucky golfer, who assured on Tuesday that he had worked very hard since the Tour Championship ended in August, opened the competition with a notable round of 66 strokes, with five birdies and a solitary bogey, showing a lot of order and tremendous consistency from tee to green. He has handled the rust well. Let’s remember he hasn’t won since the PGA Championship in 2022.
Despite this good start, the last thing Thomas will do is become complacent, as Thursdays have never been a problem for him in 2024. The great difficulty he has had is putting together four good rounds in a week. That is the challenge he currently faces. A good start also for Rickie Fowler (-2) and Collin Morikawa (-1).
