Woods 4 Over Par "83rd Win in Danger"... Im Sung-jae "Good Start with 4 Under Par"

Iron Shot Struggles on Day One of Zozo Championship Tied 75th, Munoz Leads at 8 Under "Two Shot Eagles Thrill," Im Sung-jae Tied 17th

Tiger Woods is walking on the 13th hole on the first day of the Zozo Championship. Thousand Oaks, California, USA = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "4 over par, tied for 75th."

The 'returning golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) has hit a red light in his challenge for the most PGA Tour wins (83 wins). On the 23rd (Korean time), at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California (par 72, 7,006 yards), the first day of the Zozo Championship (total prize money $8 million), he lost as many as 4 strokes. Sebastian Munoz (Colombia) leads at 8 under par, with Justin Thomas (USA) and Tyrrell Hatton (England) chasing at 1 stroke behind, tied for 2nd place (7 under par, 65 strokes). Korea's Im Sung-jae (22, CJ Logistics) is tied for 17th at 4 under par.

Woods recorded 2 birdies, 4 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. Starting at the 10th hole (par 4), he made a bogey at the 11th hole (par 5), and at the 13th hole (par 5), his third shot landed in a greenside bunker, resulting in a critical double bogey. He changed the momentum by sinking a 26.5-meter long putt at the 14th hole (par 4), but faced difficulties again with a bogey at the 16th hole (par 5) when his tee shot landed in the water. He added 1 birdie and 2 bogeys in the back nine.

His iron shots, which missed the green 10 times, showed signs of trouble. Averaging 1.90 per hole, even his putting was uncooperative. Woods himself said, "Courses designed by Nicklaus require good iron shots," emphasizing their importance. Sherwood is especially a 'winning stronghold.' The Hero World Challenge, hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation, has been held here 14 times, and Woods has won five times in 2001, 2004, 2006-2007, and 2011.

Im Sung-jae is teeing off on the 2nd hole on the first day of the Zozo Championship. Thousand Oaks (California, USA) = Getty Images / Photo by Multibits

It is interesting that Woods reached Sam Snead's (USA) PGA Tour record for most wins (82 wins) at this tournament last year. This year, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the event is held in the USA instead of Japan. He quickly fell 12 strokes behind the leader, making the creation of a new record quite challenging. Woods especially needs to defend his Masters title on the 12th of next month. For now, regaining his competitive shot feel is urgent.

Munoz energized himself with two eagle shots. At the 7th hole (par 4), 168 yards, and at the 17th hole (par 5), a 51-yard wedge shot eagle. He added 8 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey. World No. 3 Thomas joined the race for the title, and No. 2 Jon Rahm (Spain) is trailing tied for 17th. 'The CJ Cup champion' Jason Kokrak (USA) remained tied for 26th at 3 under par. There is enough room for a 'two consecutive wins march.'

For Korea, Im Sung-jae made 5 birdies (1 bogey). He relied on 'solid shots' with only one missed fairway and three missed greens. Xander Schauffele (USA) joined tied for 26th, securing a spot for the second round, while Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) showed no presence, tied for 64th at 1 over par. He played a 'rollercoaster' round with 7 birdies, 4 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. An Byeong-hun (29) finished tied for 69th at 2 over par.