Taylor Moore Grabs a 1-Stroke Lead After the 1st Round of ZOZO Championship

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INZAI, Chiba Prefecture ― American Taylor Moore fired an opening round 7-under-par 63 on Thursday, October 24 to take a one-stroke lead at the ZOZO Championship, the only PGA Tour event in Japan.

The highlight of the day for Moore came when he chipped in just over 100 feet for an eagle on the 562-yard 18th ― his ninth hole of the round.

"I hit a good 3-wood off the tee," Moore said. "I had a 5-iron in, I just missed the green short and left it in a good spot."

Added Moore, "I had plenty of green to work with. I hit a nice chip shot and it went in."

Moore's 63 also featured three straight birdies from the par-5 No 6 to close out his round and finish one stroke ahead of Colombia's Nico Echavarria and fellow Americans Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, who all shot 64.

Moore and Echavarria each have one victory on the PGA Tour. Greyserman and Cole are seeking their first.

CT Pan and Kevin Yu of Taiwan were two strokes off the pace after 65s at the par-70 Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

Local favorite and 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama had an erratic first round that included five bogeys and four birdies for a 1-over 71.

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Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.