Quick look at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

It’s a historic week on the PGA TOUR. Japan has a long and celebrated history in the game, but this is the first time that an official TOUR event will be held in this country. This new event also marks the season debut for the reigning FedExCup champion, Rory McIlroy, as well as Tiger Woods, who’s making his first start since arthroscopic knee surgery and his final start before making his four captain’s picks for the Presidents Cup. There’s a lot on the line for the 78-man field in Japan, which features 20 players who competed in the 2019 TOUR Championship. RELATED: Tee times | How to Watch |  Power Rankings THE FLYOVER All 18 holes at this week’s venue have two greens, a common practice in Japan. The long, par-4 fourth will be the only hole that uses both greens this week, though. A water hazard runs down the left side of the fairway. The left “Aâ€� green adds an additional 20 yards to the hole and has out-of-bounds long. The right “Bâ€� green is heavily guarded by water and two bunkers. The greens will never be simultaneously in play, but will be used in alternating rounds. WEATHER CHECK Clouds will be on the increase Thursday, but it should remain dry before Typhoon Bualoi combines with a low–pressure system moving across Japan to produce heavy rainfall and gusty winds on Friday. Up to 4 inches of rain is possible. Drier weather will return Saturday before another system brings the chance for showers on Sunday. SOUND CHECK They’re very enthusiastic. The people here seem so excited to have a PGA TOUR event here. BY THE NUMBERS 10.1 – The winning percentage of FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy. It’s the second-highest on TOUR since 1983, trailing only Tiger Woods (22.4%). 2 – Number of wins Woods has in Japan, the 2004 and 2005 Dunlop Phoenix Tournaments. 9 – Number of Japanese players in the field: Matsuyama, Imahira, Ryo Ishikawa, Satoshi Kodaira, Yosuke Asaji, Mikumu Horikawa, Rikuya Hoshino, Jinichiro Kozuma and Tomoharu Otsuki. SCATTERSHOTS Long and short: This week’s course offers a variety of holes that will test every aspect of players’ games. Ball-striking will be especially important on the tight, tree-lined course. “There’s quite a few wedges into par 4s but then there’s a couple holes today that I hit a 4- and a 5‑iron into them,â€� said McIlroy. “There’s a stretch on the back nine which is pretty tough as well.  But it’s a great course. It’s in great condition, the greens are so pure, and it sort of reminds me a little bit of the course we play in Mexico, Chapultepec. Reminds me a little bit of that, just sort of the tree lined and sort of the doglegs and having to sort of cut off corners and stuff. I like it.â€� Always improving: Justin Thomas has won twice in his last four starts, but he said Wednesday there’s still room for improvement. “I just think I can always improve and I think that’s what’s so fun about this game,â€� he said. “I’m not searching to become perfect because I know that that’s not possible, but I am a perfectionist, so it kind of contradicts itself. I just feel like if I can just improve everything just a little bit, you know. I’m always working to get a little bit better on my putting. I know that my chipping and my pitching can get a lot better. My iron play is really good, but I feel like I can kind of hone that in and get, you know, some little things fixed up. And driving and 3‑wood.  It’s always just trying to get it a little bit better to where those bad days are just even better because I think that’s what separates the best players in the world.â€�

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