While many were asleep Wednesday evening on the East Coast of the United States, the 2022 Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, got underway. Headlined by defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, the most popular golfer in Japan, it was the dreary weather which ultimately took center stage in the first round. Competitors played with ball in hand as they dealt with rainy and wet conditions around Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
The man who adapted to his surroundings better than the rest of the field was Brendan Steele, who opened with a 6-under 64 to command the solo first-round lead. The 39-year-old was exquisite from the jump as he made birdie on the par-4 2nd before adding two more on Nos. 10 and 11. After a head-scratching bogey on the par-5 14th, Steele was left needing to recover, and recover he did with four birdies over the course of his final four holes.
Highlighted by a hole-out birdie from roughly 60 yards on the difficult par-4 17th, Steele was able to position his name atop the first page of the leaderboard that includes the likes of Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Mito Pereira. Matsuyama may have began his defense effort in middling fashion with a 1-over 71, but his fellow countryman Kazuki Higa is firmly in the mix after a 3-under 67 and will look to make it back-to-back Zozo Championship winners hailing from Japan.
The leader
1. Brendan Steele (-6)
It is no secret that Steele has gone through the wringer with the putter recently, but he has clearly developed a nice level of comfort around Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. Finishing runner-up to Matsuyama in last year’s tournament, Steele picked up where he left off in Round 1. Having lost a combined 10 strokes on the greens en route to missing the cut at the Fortinet Championship and the Sanderson Farms Championship, it appears — at least through 18 holes — that Steele has left his putting woes back in the United States.
“I love it here. Loved the course last year, really happy to be back. Nice for us to be able to get out of the hotel a little bit this year, too, and enjoy the culture a little, so I’ve enjoyed it a ton,” said Steele. “You just have to drive it well. I like to draw the ball off the tee at least when I’m swinging well and I think there’s quite a few draws out here, so I feel comfortable with the shots that are maybe a little harder for some guys that have a different ball flight. And then I’ve been really comfortable on the greens. The greens are difficult, they have a lot of slope, a lot of speed, but from the start last year I felt really comfortable here and that’s really a key for me.”
Other contenders
2. Adam Schenk (-5)
T3. Keegan Bradley, Matthew NeSmith, Sam Ryder (-4)
T6. Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Mito Pereira, Maverick McNealy, Kazuki Higa (-3)
Competing on a sponsors exemption, Fowler is taking full advantage of his opportunity at the Zozo Championship. After kicking off his 2022-23 season with a T6 finish at the Fortinet Championship, many believed the five-time PGA Tour winner was well on his way to officially being “back.” A missed cut at the Shriners Children’s Open dampened expectations, but a volatile Fowler may be the new normal as he assimilates to a new caddie and a return to former swing coach Butch Harmon.
“I’m very happy with where we’re at,” said Fowler. “Obviously didn’t have the week we wanted last week, drove it poorly, but with some of the changes we’ve made and to have the finish that we did at Napa and kind of seeing a lot of good things, I’m definitely happy about it and excited to be here and off to a good start.”
2022 Zozo Championship updated odds and picks
- Xander Schauffele (5-1)
- Keegan Bradley (9-1)
- Brendan Steele (10-1)
- Mito Pereira (12-1)
- Adam Schenk (14-1)
- Matthew NeSmith (18-1)
- Maverick McNealy (18-1)
- Viktor Hovland (20-1)
With 54 holes still to play, none of the players shorter than 20-1 really stand out. The top of this leaderboard is susceptible to turnover; instead, we will look to a couple players who signed for rounds of even par 70. Englishman Tyrrell Hatton was a name fancied at the onset of the tournament, and this sentiment has not changed after 18 holes. Carding a quadruple bogey in the middle of his back nine, Hatton was able to recover with four straight birdies to claw back to even by day’s end and stands six strokes back at 40-1.
A similar story unfolded for Cam Davis as he began his Zozo Championship with two double bogeys and a bogey in his first four holes. The smooth-swinging Australian played his final 14 holes in 4 under to end the day where he began at even par. Davis is listed at 60-1, comes off a strong Presidents Cup debut and is playing with house money — literally — as he is set to see his family in Australia at the completion of play this week.