At the Narashino Country Club in Japan, American Taylor Moore takes the lead at the opening of the Zozo Championship, while defending champion Morikawa and world number two Xander Schauffele have been having a difficult start at the competition.
Moore finished with a seven-under-par 63, a career-low opening-round score on the PGA Tour, after making six birdies and a spectacular 100-foot chip for an eagle on the par-five 18th hole. His only shortcoming was a fourth-hole bogey.
The athlete said: “I had plenty of green to work with. I hit a nice chip and it went in.”
Moreover, Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, both from Moore’s team, and Nico Echavarria of Colombia all tied for second place.
In similar news, Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and the British Open this season, had a rough start after his tee shot on the par-four ninth hole got caught in a tree’s roots. He made two attempts to dig it out, but the ball did not budge. He then made an unplayable lie, which led to a quadruple-bogey finish on the hole.
Schauffele said: “I should’ve just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it… I think having false confidence helps at times and in those spots it really doesn’t.”
Despite starting with a birdie, Morikawa, a two-time major winner, bogeyed the fourth and double-bogeyed the sixth before making three birdies to finish at one under par.
Source: CNA