The PGA Tour regains some momentum this week with the ZOZO Championship, a tournament held at the Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. The autumn series have struggled to capture the fans’ interest, even though there are players fighting for important things like next year’s card. However, the fact that these points no longer count for the top players means they are practically absent. There has been no sign of the world’s top 50 in the American circuit in recent weeks, apart from some isolated appearances. However, this week things change…
Some of the most important names have answered Japan’s call. We have Xander Schauffele, whose grandparents live in the Land of the Rising Sun, Collin Morikawa, of Japanese descent, and, of course, Hiseki Matsuyama. Additionally, Justin Thomas has also decided to join and undoubtedly becomes the main attraction of the tournament. He last played in August at the Tour Championship, where he finished in 17th place. There is much anticipation to see which version of the phenomenal player who has won two PGA Championships will show up.
Thomas knows he needs to regain his best form, as in the last two years he has become a player distanced from the world’s best. He has been left behind. He hasn’t won since the PGA Championship in 2022, a long time for a golfer of his calibre, who won at least one tournament every year from 2015 to 2022, including his five victories in 2017.
Since his triumph at the PGA, he has continued to show negative signs. He squeezed into the Ryder Cup in 2023, and although it’s true that in 2024 he has slightly improved his level, at least to qualify for the Tour Championship, two and a half years without a win is too long for a golfer of his calibre. He assures that he has trained very hard since the FedEx Cup ended in August and is confident of proving it this week in Japan. Asia is also a favourable ground for the golfer from Kentucky. Not surprisingly, he has won there four times, twice in Malaysia and twice in South Korea. Perhaps for these good vibes, he has decided to return to competition in Japan, a country he hasn’t visited since 2019.
“I’ve had a lot of free time, I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve been with family, but I’ve also trained very hard and was eager to compete. I’m very comfortable at home, but I really enjoy competing and was looking forward to it,” said the American, who will also debut the new GT driver developed by Titleist. It will be difficult to see him in action again before 2025, as he will become a father for the first time in November, so he surely wants to make the most of this week to announce to the world that he is definitely back.
The Narashino Country Club course is tough. It doesn’t seem like the scores will be very low this week, although it will all depend, as almost always, on the wind. If it doesn’t rain, the greens are hard enough and the rough thick enough to cause problems. If it rains, as the forecast suggests for Thursday and Friday, then the greens would be more receptive and it would be easier. In any case, the key everyone agrees on is to stay on the fairway.
