Like most of America, chances are you were sleeping during the first round of the PGA Tour’s 2022 Zozo Championship.
With the event being held at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan, the broadcast aired from 11 p.m. ET Wednesday night to 3 a.m. ET Thursday morning, so we can’t really blame you for resting your eyes and missing out on the early action.
We can, however, get you up to speed on what you missed while you were sleeping. The fans showed out for defending champion Hideki Matsuyama while Keita Nakajima, the world’s former No. 1 amateur, made his pro Tour debut in his native Japan. One three-time winner on Tour made four consecutive birdies to take the lead, while another player did the same but just to get back to even par on the day.
Here are some of the highlights from the first round of the Tour’s annual stop in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Shot of the day (that wasn't)
After starting the round bogey-birdie-double-double, Cam Davis settled into his round and made two birdies on Nos. 6 and 8, and the latter could’ve been an eagle.
On the short par-4 8th, Davis found the fairway and flipped a wedge a good 10 feet past the hole and spun it back with some serious pace. His ball took off like a yo-yo and spun right towards the cup, lipping out and leaving the birdie putt.
These guys are so good they’re hitting it too hard directly at the hole.
Spin cycle 🔄@CamDavisGolf nearly holes out on No. 8. pic.twitter.com/4AFUXAwUaL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 13, 2022
The Aussie ultimately signed for an even-par 70 and will enter the second round T-29.
Shot of the day (that was)
Brendan Steele wrote seven circles on his scorecard in the opening round and took the lead with four consecutive birdies to close out his back nine and sit atop the leaderboard at 6 under, one ahead of Adam Schenk. The 39-year-old holed-out from the fairway on the par-4 17th with a slam-dunk shot you’ve got to see.
That's one way to make a birdie …
A slam dunk for @Brendan_Steele to tie the lead. pic.twitter.com/HlVKuXHgZ9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 13, 2022
A runner-up at last year’s Zozo, Steele has now held the 18-hole lead or co-lead seven times in his PGA Tour career. He’s gone on to win just once at the 2017 Fortinet Championship, the last of his three PGA Tour wins.
Adam Schenk sits in second at 5 under, with Sam Ryder, Matthew NeSmith and Keegan Bradley T-3 at 4 under. Fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele are T-6 alongside Mito Pereira, Maverick McNealy and Kazuki Higa at 3 under.
Fans show out for Hideki
Not only is he one of the biggest stars in Japanese athletics, but Hideki Matsuyama is also the defending champion at the Zozo. Unfortunately for the thousands of people who showed up to watch, the 2021 Masters champion struggled out the gate in the first round.
Matsuyama made three bogeys and just two birdies in the inclement weather and is seven shots back after the first day of play.
Defending champion @HidekiOfficial_ draws a big crowd as he aims to defend his title @ZOZOCHAMP 💪 pic.twitter.com/OkPM5s2jgu
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 13, 2022
A debut at home
After a record amateur career that saw him spend 87 weeks atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Keita Nakajima took the next step in his golf career by making his PGA Tour debut as a professional in his native Japan.
As an amateur the 22-year-old made two starts on Tour last year, finishing T-28 at the Zozo Championship and 41st at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He also missed the cut at the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship.
Nakajima turned pro last month and was awarded a sponsor exemption to this year’s Zozo, where he shot an even-par 70 in the first round. Nakajima started on the back and made the turn at one under but struggled early on his second nine, making bogey on three of his first four holes before righting the ship with consecutive birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to get back to even.
From making an 8 to 4 straight
It’s never a dull moment watching Tyrrell Hatton. The angry golfer has blown up a few times on the golf course, and he brought the fireworks in the first round once again. After starting on the back nine, Hatton made the turn at 1 under before he immediately gave his birdie back around the turn with a bogey on the par-4 1st hole.
Two pars later, Hatton put the carrot on the snowman and wrote a quadruple-bogey 8 on his scorecard after some serious struggles on the par-4 4th. How did he respond? By rattling off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 5-8 to get back to even on the day. Never a dull moment.
