If you didn’t burn the midnight oil and watch the second round of the Zozo Championship, you missed some spectacular golf.
The temperature warmed up, the wind died and the rain stopped in Chiba, Japan, and it left Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club rather defenseless. Add in preferred lies being in effect and it was no surprise that several players in the 78-man field took turns torching the course. That included a 59 watch, a new course record and Rickie Fowler showing life in his game. Let’s drill down a little deeper on some of the highlights from the land of the rising sun.
Fowler shares lead
Rickie Fowler spent time with instructor Butch Harmon last week in Las Vegas, but then proceeded to miss the cut. But the hard work may bear fruit this week in Japan. Fowler, 33, birdied the final two holes to shoot a bogey-free 63 and claim a share of the 36-hole lead, his first time in the driver’s seat in more than a year (2021 3rd round, CJ Cup) and hasn’t had a 36-hole lead since the 2020 American Express. Fowler, a five-time winner on Tour, is winless since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open, which also happens to be the only time he’s converted a 36-hole into victory in 10 previous attempts.
“I wouldn’t say I necessarily had my best, swing wise, I just did a really good job of managing and accepting what I had,” he said, “but I can’t complain about a 63.”
Indeed. His ball-striking and putting produced seven deuces on the par 3s through two rounds, which hasn’t hurt his chances.
Playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption, Fowler rolled in a 20-foot birdie putt at 17 and added a two-putt birdie at the par-5 18th to tie for the lead with Andrew Putnam.
Putnam bogey-free through 36 holes
When Andrew Putnam was asked what he liked about his round at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, he didn’t have to think hard.
“Pretty much everything,” he said. “I mean, no bogeys I think through the first 36 holes, so that’s obviously great.”
The 33-year-old had never shot better than 68 in nine previous rounds there. He went out and birdied his first two holes and later drilled a 25-foot uphill putt for his third birdie in a row at No 15. Putnam, who has ranked as high as No. 3 in Strokes Gained: putting on the PGA Tour, said the putter is heating up.
“First group off, so the greens were really smooth and rolled it really well, made a lot of putts,” he said.
At 18, he boomed a 3-wood to 20 feet, but his eagle putt lipped out for 61 and he settled for tying his Tour low (previously in the first round of the 2019 Sony Open in Hawaii). Putnam, who has one career Tour title at the 2018 Barracuda Championship, held the course record for about an hour before John Huh topped him.
“I thought I maybe had to make that last one to get it,” he said of the course record. Turns out he was right.
Still, his 8-under 62 lifted him to a 36-hole total of 10-under 130 and a share of the 36-hole lead with Fowler.
Huh’s #59Watch
John Huh birdied five of the first six holes and toured the first nine in 6-under 28. He tacked on birdies at No. 10, 14 and 16 on the par-70 layout, but closed with two pars for a score of 9-under 61. Was he thinking of a sub-60 score?
“Not really,” he said. “I knew if I made a couple more birdies it would have been nice, but I never really thought about a 59 in my head, yeah. Nine is good enough, I think, for me.”
Huh put on a ball-striking clinic, making birdie at half of his holes and none from more than 20 feet. Huh, who ranked 190th in SGP two seasons ago, had great control of his speed. While he fell short of the magical 59 – he needed to hole out from a greenside bunker at 18 – he tied his career low on Tour, which he shot in August at the first round of the Wyndham Championship. Huh is seeking his second career Tour title and first since the 2012 World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba.
Huh improved his score by 10 shots on Friday to join the trophy hunt and is in fourth at 8-under 132.
Nakajima knocking on the door
As PGA Tour professional debuts go, Keita Nakajima is making some noise in his native land. The former top-ranked amateur in the world poured in five birdies in a six-hole stretch starting at No. 4 en route to posting 7-under 63. Nakajima, 22, also chipped in for birdie at 14 and birdied the last for his eighth and ninth circles on the card on the day.
Ahead of the tournament, Nakajima conceded his confidence in his game was low.
“My swing is inconsistent,” he said. “I have been sending swing videos to my coach, but now I am a pro, so I need to bring my best game out there.”
For the first 36 holes, he’s done just that. He’s sitting at 7-under 133 and in fifth place and has the best score among 16 Japanese players in the field.
Big names lurking
It took 24 holes for Collin Morikawa to break into red figures but once he did he kept moving in the right direction. The two-time major champion signed for 6-under 64 and trails the leaders by five strokes at the halfway point.
Norway’s Viktor Hovland carded six birdies en route to shooting 4-under 66 on Friday. He’s tied with Morikawa at 5-under 135 and does his best work when playing from behind. Hovland hit 14 greens in regulation, which was five more than the previous round.
Xander Schauffele hasn’t had his ‘A-game’ so far, but he signed for 1-under 69 and just needs to correct a crooked driver (12 of 26 fairways) through two rounds. Schauffele, who won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games, heads into the weekend at 4-under 136 and T-13.
Former major winner Keegan Bradley is in the best position of this bunch. He shot a bogey-free 65 to improve to 9-under 131, good for solo third, and enjoyed a stress-free round.
“I just played perfect today,” he said. “It’s one of the best rounds of the year, this whole year.”
