Kim in no hurry to leave Houston after victory

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The final 18 holes at THE PLAYERS Championship can seem like an eternity. The finish line feels so far away. That’s because the final result often hangs in the balance until the very end. Rarely do we see a player jubilantly walking down the final fairway, doffing his cap to the crowd. He still has stressful shots to hit to complete his victory. The closing holes on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass were designed to induce drama, and they usually fulfill their purpose. It looks like Sunday could be another PLAYERS Championship that won’t be decided until the final putt drops, thanks to difficult conditions and a crowded leaderboard. Kyle Stanley and J.B. Holmes share the lead at 9-under 207, taking disparate paths to the top of the leaderboard. Holmes has been one of the least accurate drivers this week but leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. Stanley has taken a more traditional road to the lead, ranking in the top 15 of both driving accuracy and greens in regulation. Holmes’ wild play – he also ranks 65th in greens hit — has bucked the conventional wisdom at the Stadium Course. Pete Dye’s design emphasizes accuracy over brute strength, especially when conditions are firm and the greens are hard to hold. Ball-striking is important because the penalty is so high for wayward shots on Dye’s penal design. “This golf course just beats you up,” said Emiliano Grillo, who’s three shots back. “You just have to play well.” There were 74 scores of double-bogey or worse recorded Saturday, and 238 this week. There have been 286 shots hit into the water, including 142 on the famed trio of finishing holes. “Around this golf course, with 16, 17 and 18, anything can happen,” said Louis Oosthuizen, who’s one shot back. “No lead can be big enough. You can be three back and you can win the event. That’s what makes this golf course great. We’ve seen over the years great finishes around this golf course and horrible finishes.” The volatility of the finishing holes, especially when the anxiety is highest on a Sunday afternoon, is one reason comebacks have been prevalent at TPC Sawgrass Seven of the past 10 PLAYERS have been come-from-behind victories, including four wins by players who trailed by three or more strokes entering the final round. There are six players who will start Sunday within three strokes of the lead. It was just two years ago that Rickie Fowler was 4 under on those three holes before winning in a playoff. And, of course, we’ve seen the heartbreak that players such as Sean O’Hair and Len Mattiace have suffered on the island green. “I like the course, but some shots are a bit too scary for me,” said Francesco Molinari, who’s five shots back. “Even if you are suffering out there, you know that everyone is doing the same.” That’s especially true this year. The field averaged 74.04 strokes Saturday. There were seven scores in the 60s on Saturday, as well as seven scores of 79 or higher. This week’s cumulative scoring average is 73.4, on pace to be the highest since 2008. The winner that year? Sergio Garcia. He’s in contention again this week after shooting a 67 on Saturday that moved him within four shots of the lead. He’s looking to become the only player other than Tiger Woods to win the Masters and THE PLAYERS in the same year. Woods won the 2001 PLAYERS a month before completing the Tiger Slam at Augusta National. Garcia is the most successful player among those in the top nine of the leaderboard. He and Oosthuizen are the only major champions among the bunch, and Garcia’s 10 PGA TOUR titles lead the group. Patrick Cantlay and Alex Noren are seeking their first PGA TOUR victories, while four of the top nine have just one TOUR title (Stanley, Oosthuizen, Grillo, Si Woo Kim). The task will be even tougher because high winds are expected to hit the Stadium Course again on Sunday. The final 20 players to tee off Saturday averaged 74.8 strokes, including eight scores of 75 or higher. Of the seven scores in the 60s shot on Saturday, only one came from a player who teed off after noon. Kim, who teed off at 1:30 p.m., shot 68. “Around this golf course without wind, it’s a pretty fine line,” said Fowler, who sits at even par. “You start adding wind to the equation (and) it makes this place, to the average golfer, almost impossible.” These aren’t your average golfers, but they’ll face a tough task Sunday if they want to walk away with THE PLAYERS Championship.

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Tournament officials announced today that Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 gold medallist and 7-time PGA TOUR winner Xander Schauffele has committed to play in the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP at ACCORDIA GOLF Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan, October 13-16, 2022. Joining Schauffele are Cameron Champ, a 3-time PGA TOUR champion, 12-time TOUR winner Jason Day, former DP World Tour No. 1 Tommy Fleetwood and 5-time winner Rickie Fowler. “We are delighted to announce that Xander Schauffele will headline the 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP as well as PGA TOUR superstars like Cameron Champ, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood and Rickie Fowler,” said Travis Steiner, Executive Director of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. “Their presence and star power will help deliver another week of world-class golf in Japan and put a spotlight on the legacy this tournament continues to build.” Schauffele, the World No. 5, has enjoyed a stellar 2022. Following a three-year wait, he picked up his fifth PGA TOUR title in April when he partnered with close friend and 2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP winner, Patrick Cantlay, to claim victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Later in the summer, he won the Travelers Championship and Genesis Scottish Open in successive tournament appearances. Schauffele has played in all three editions of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, with a T10 in 2019 being his best finish. The 28-year-old American, whose father is French/German and mother from Chinese Taipei, has close links to Japan where his maternal grandparents live in the country. Schauffele said: “My love and respect for Japan runs deep. From childhood memories of visiting my grandparents to playing in the inaugural ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, and of course winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games, Japan is a special place to me and my family. I’m excited to head back there again this fall to compete in this year’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. I’ve had a great year thus far and winning in Japan would be the perfect end to what has been a memorable 2022.” Champ, who turned professional in 2017, is a three-time PGA TOUR winner with his most recent victory captured at the 2021 3M Open. The 27-year-old made his ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP debut in 2020 at Sherwood Country Club, finishing T8, and making 2022 his second tournament appearance but first in Japan. “The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP is definitely going to be a highlight on my fall schedule this year,” said Champ. “I played the event in 2020 at Sherwood, but I am especially excited to return to Japan and experience the culture there again. Japan has some of the best fans in the world and incredible courses, so I’m really looking forward to playing in that atmosphere at Narashino. My plan is to come out and play my best golf against a field that continues to grow in strength year after year.” The 2022 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will mark Day’s third start at the event, with his best finish coming in 2019 during its inaugural playing. This season, the 34-year-old has notched one top-10 finish, placing T3 at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he is a two-time tournament winner. The Australian is a 12-time champion with a career highlighted by wins at the PGA Championship (2015) and THE PLAYERS Championship (2016). “I’m really looking forward to making the trip back to Japan for the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in a few months,” said Day. “My time there in 2019 was extremely memorable, with Tiger Woods ultimately winning, which always makes for an incredible moment in history. Having a tournament to play in Asia is great for the game and it’s a pleasure to have the chance to play courses in different parts of the world and take part in various cultures, of which Japan is one of my favorites. I am ready to get back and hopefully contend for a ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP title.” Fowler, whose middle name Yutaka comes from his maternal grandfather who is Japanese, is one of the most popular players on TOUR, thanks to five career victories which includes the 2015 PLAYERS Championship. He featured in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and will arrive in Japan this October with every intention of ending a three-year winless run following his last success at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. Fowler, 33, said: “It’s fantastic we can play in front of PGA TOUR fans in all parts of the world, and to be able to compete in a country like Japan that has so much personal meaning to me and my family is an opportunity too big to pass up. I played in the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan for the first time last year and the amazing support that the players received from Japanese fans was something I will never forget. With my family roots, it’ll be amazing if I can pull off a win at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP.” Fleetwood has appeared in every edition since the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was inaugurated in 2019 and enjoyed his best result with a tie for seventh place last October. The 31-year-old Englishman, who has played in two Ryder Cup teams for Europe and holds five DP World Tour victories, has enjoyed a strong 2022 with six top-10s including T4 finishes at The Open Championship and Genesis Scottish Open, and a T5 at the PGA Championship. The ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, which features a $11 million purse, will showcase a 78-man field which will compete over four rounds with no cut. As Japan’s only official PGA TOUR event, the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP was successfully launched at Narashino in 2019 when Tiger Woods claimed the inaugural title with a three-shot victory over Hideki Matsuyama en route to equalling Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA TOUR victories. This year’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will include the leading players from the 2021-2022 FedExCup, players designated by the Japan Golf Tour Organization, the winner of the 2022 BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup on the Japan Golf Tour and sponsor exemptions. As in previous years, part of the tournament’s proceeds will be donated to charitable causes. As a full FedExCup tournament, the winner of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP will earn 500 FedExCup points. The event will be co-sanctioned once again with the Japan Golf Tour Organization. For more information on the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, please visit zozochampionship.com/en/

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