The first three rounds of the 2023 Zozo Championship are in the books and one man sits alone atop the leaderboard.
After a third-round 3-under 67, Justin Suh leads by one at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan.
Beau Hossler and Eric Cole are tied for second at 8 under and all three players are looking for their first wins on the PGA Tour. Hossler followed up his Friday 65 with a 1-under 69 on Saturday, while Cole bounced back from a 1-over 71 with a 4-under 66.
Defending champion Keegan Bradley (67-70-73) is even par for the week and is tied for 21st.
Here’s everything you need to know from the third round of the Zozo Championship.
Justin Suh looks for first win
After shooting 68-66 over the first two days in Japan, Suh fired a 3-under 67 Saturday.
His day began with a birdie on the par-4 opener, and he’d go on to add two more on the front nine — Nos. 6 and 8 — to go out in 3-under 31. After giving one back on No. 10, Suh added birdies on Nos. 13 and 16 to get to 4 under on the day. However, he struggled down the par-4 17th and made his second bogey of the round. After failing to birdie the par-5 18th, Suh signed for his 67.
Since the start of 2023, Suh has missed just two cuts, but hasn’t had as many high finishes as he would have liked. His last top 20 came at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May.
As he chases his first Tour win Sunday, his plan is to keep in simple.
“Just a shot at a time,” he said, “I think that’s the most important. Just kind of be aware of myself, aware of the conditions. I think that’s kind of all you can do.”
Collin Morikawa bounces back
In strong winds Friday, Morikawa struggled to a 3-over 73 after holding the 18-hole lead. But he bounced back nicely on Saturday, shooting a 4-under 66, and is now two shots off the lead at 7 under.
His day was a bit of a roller coaster, beginning with a double-bogey six on the first hole. After a bogey on the fourth hole, Morikawa birdied Nos. 6-8 and made the turn with an even-par 34.
He bogeyed No. 12 and then went on another birdie run, this time adding four straight squares to the card on Nos. 13-16. Morikawa closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th to complete his 4-under effort.
“I haven’t had a round like that in a while,” he said. “I think it just shows that my head’s in the right space. When you’re 3 over through four, all I was trying to do was get back to even par through nine. Even par at the end of the day, even if I shot even I would have been pleased because out here you can get yourself in trouble pretty quickly.
“I’m very happy with how everything kind of came about, and obviously the nice little string of birdies was a nice momentum swing. The par putt on 17, the putt on 18, all these things are just kind of great little momentum things heading into tomorrow.”
Morikawa is looking for his first win since the 2021 Open.
Surprising round from Xander Schauffele
Schauffele has played well at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club over the last few years, finishing inside the top 10 twice in three starts. So when he was 4 under through 36 holes, it looked like he was poised for another high finish.
However, Schauffele struggled to a 5-over 75 on Saturday and is now 1 over for the tournament and tied for 31st.
After a par at the opener, Schauffele bogeyed No. 2 before a double bogey at the fourth. He was able to get a circle on the card at the seventh, but gave it right back with another bogey on the ninth to go out with a 3-over 37.
Two more bogeys on the back nine — Nos. 12 and 18 — completed his 5-over round.
Schauffele has 18 holes left to right the ship if he hopes to grab another top-10 finish.
Round of the day: Kurt Kitayama
Kitayama couldn’t get much going on Thursday and Friday, shooting rounds of 71-70 and was 1 over through 36 holes. However, after a Saturday 6-under 64, Kitayama is 5 under for the tournament, solo seventh and four shots back of the lead.
He got rolling early with birdies on Nos. 1 and 3 before a run of three straight on Nos. 5-7. However, back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 8 and 9 sent him out with a 3-under 31.
Kitayama kept the card clean on the back nine and added birdies on Nos. 12, 17 and 18 to finish off his 6-under performance.
“Felt good today, hit it well. Been putting really well, so kind of clicked today,” Kitayama told the media after signing his card.
His lone Tour win came earlier this year at Bay Hill.
Several big names are struggling
The week began with 78 players in the field, but after a WD, 77 players will tee it up Sunday. Surprisingly, in a small field, big names are struggling.
Through 54 holes, Rickie Fowler (T-31), Schauffele (T-31), Cameron Champ (T-40), Joel Dahmen (T-43), Hideki Matsuyama (T-43) and Adam Scott (T-53) are all outside the top 30.
Fowler’s performance is a bit surprising seeing that he finished second to Keegan Bradley last year. Matsuyama was also hoping for a better week, especially with his great course history (2nd in 2019, win in 2021).
