Korea's Im looks for putter to heat up after opening 67 at Zozo Championship

Korean star Im Sung-jae is counting on his putter to light up at the Zozo Championship after he battled to a 3-under 67 for tied eighth place in the first round at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on Thursday.

Im Sung-jae hits his second shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club Inzai, Japan on Thursday. [GETTY IMAGES]

Korean star Im Sung-jae is counting on his putter to light up at the Zozo Championship after he battled to a 3-under 67 for tied eighth place in the first round at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on Thursday.

Im, a two-time PGA Tour winner, traded six birdies against three bogeys to end the day three back of leader Collin Morikawa, who grabbed a one-shot lead following a bogey-free 64 for his sixth career 18-hole lead/co-lead.

Mikumu Horikawa, one of 14 Japanese players in the $8.5 million event co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and Japan Golf Tour, fired a 65 for tied second place alongside Europe’s Ryder Cup star Nicolai Hojgaard, Eric Cole, Robby Shelton and Emiliano Grillo.

Defending champion Keegan Bradley began his campaign with a 67 while home hero Hideki Matsuyama, the Zozo Championship winner in 2021, made an eagle and birdie in his last five holes for a 69. Tokyo Olympic Games gold medallist Xander Schauffele shot a 67.

The 25-year-old Im maintained his recent run of good form which saw him win gold and silver at the recent Asian Games in China and finishing tied second on the Korean PGA Tour last weekend.

While happy with his solid start at Narashino, where he finished top-3 in the inaugural event in 2019, the Korean felt his flat stick let him down. “I started off with three under so I think I played well. I hit some good shots early and had a lot of birdie chances but missed some putts. However, I hit a lot of fairways and was able to hit my second shots comfortably. I think I can do well in the rest of the tournament if I keep this up,” said Im.

He is eager to return to winning ways as his last triumph on the PGA Tour was at the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open. He enjoys coming back to Japan’s lone PGA Tour tournament and is keen to stay in the title hunt.

“I finished third in 2019. This course has narrow fairways and you need to hit your second shots well. If you’re in good shape, you will have a lot of good chances, so I think this course suits me well,” he said.

“I’ve been getting good results from the Asian Games and Genesis Championship. The momentum from the Asian Games and my second place finish in the last tournament definitely gave me a lot of confidence. But I missed some putters today so I need to work on that.”

Lee Kyoung-hoon opened with a 68 while Song Young-han, who is a Japan Golf Tour member, also started with a 2-under. Rookie Kim Seong-hyeon began his campaign with a 69.

You can watch the Zozo Championship on JTBC Golf and Sports.

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG [kjdsports@joongang.co.kr]