Two-time main champion Xander Schauffele made a stunning begin to the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship as Taylor Moore grabbed the early lead in Japan.
The world No 2 – the highest-ranked participant within the discipline – solely registered one birdie and racked up an unpleasant quadruple-bogey on the par-four ninth on his method to a three-over 73 at Narashino Nation Membership, leaving him 10 strokes behind early pacesetter Taylor Moore.
Schauffele is tied-Seventieth within the 78-man discipline after the opening day, as Moore grabbed a one-shot lead over Max Greyserman, Eric Cole and Nico Echavarria after birdieing three of the final 4 holes of his seven-under 63.
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Schauffele makes an attempt a number of occasions to hack out from tree roots. He finally took a drop and made a quadruple bogey on the ninth gap within the Zozo Championship
CT Pan is 2 again alongside Kevin Yu and Justin Thomas is three off the tempo after a four-under 66, whereas Collin Morikawa – who claimed a six-shot victory final 12 months – wanted two late birdies to salvage an opening-round 69.
Schauffele struggles at Zozo Championship
The reigning Open champion opened with 5 consecutive pars and continued his run on the par-five sixth, regardless of discovering water off the tee, together with his run ending when he made two failed makes an attempt out of the bushes on the ninth earlier than having to take a penalty drop.
He pitched out together with his fifth shot and located the inexperienced together with his subsequent, with Schauffele knocking his putt a number of ft previous the outlet earlier than changing the hassle coming again to card a quadruple-bogey eight.
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Schauffele is the highest-ranked participant within the discipline
Schauffele’s solely birdie of the day got here on the par-three thirteenth, the place he transformed from eight ft, with the American failing to benefit from both par-five over the closing holes.
“Overall it was pretty low stress for the most part of the day,” Schauffele stated. “Like 85 per cent of the day was not very hectic. Quantity 9, it was an unbelievable spot. I needed to take a photograph of it nearly, how dangerous it was. For me to suppose I can do something undoubtedly received me in a gap there.
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“I should have just taken an unplayable, but I was an idiot and tried to hit it. Then I was stubborn and then tried to hit it again, then finally took an unplayable. I was going to hit it a third time too just because, but yeah, it was a bad spot.”
Moore adopted two birdies in his first six holes with a pitch in-eagle on the par-five 18th, with the 31-year-old choosing up one other shot on the third then cancelling out a three-putt bogey on the fourth with a three-birdie burst from the sixth to seize the lead.
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Collin Morikawa brilliantly escapes a bunker on the 18th gap then falls over on the Zozo Championship!
“I’d say just very solid overall,” Moore stated. “Did a pretty good job hitting fairways and greens for the most part. Yeah, had a couple of chip-ins as well, which always helps!”
England’s Harry Corridor began with a two-under 68 and Morikawa recovered from dropping three photographs in three holes from the fourth to remain inside six of the lead, whereas house favorite Hideki Matsuyama opened with a one-over 71.
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