INZAI CITY, Japan — Taylor Moore shot a 7-under 63 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Zozo Championship, the only PGA Tour event in Japan.
Max Greyserman, Nico Echavarria and Eric Cole shot after a round of 64 at Narashino Country Club. Two Taiwanese players — CT Pan and Kevin Yu — were back two after 65 years.
Moore had an eagle on the 562-yard 18th — his ninth hole of the round — when he holed out just over 100 feet.
“I had a lot of green to work with,” Moore said. “I hit a good disc and it went in.”
Moore and Echavarria each have one victory on the PGA Tour. Greyserman and Cole are looking for the first.
Greyserman is playing a tournament for the first time in two months. He finished second in two of the last four tournaments he played, then put clubs down on the break.
“There was just a lot going on and going out,” he said. “Instead of a month off, it was like a full week off, and then maybe like a day or two — then another full week off.”
“I haven’t really played, I’ve practiced that much, to be honest,” he added. “I mean, when you hit as many shots as all the guys here in their entire lives, it doesn’t really leave you.”
Cole lost in the finals of last year’s Honda Classic as he looked for his first win.
It was a tough day for the most popular players in the field of 72 that didn’t drop.
Local favorite and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsyama shot a 1-over 71 and was far off the pace.
Defending champion Collin Morikawa opened with a 69, and Xander Schauffele, the current PGA and British Open champion, shot a 3-over 73. He had company there with fellow American Max Homa.
Schauffele took 8 on the 4th of the ninth when his shot landed behind a tree.
“I should have just taken the unplayable thing but I was stupid and tried to hit it,” he said. Then I got stubborn and tried to hit it again, and ended up taking an unplayable game.”
Schauffele was asked if there was a lesson to be learned.
“I think false confidence helps sometimes, and in those areas it doesn’t really happen,” he said. “So I’ll try to test it better next time and think whether I can pull it off or not.”
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