2021 Zozo Championship: Winners and Losers in Japan
By Tim Letcher
Every week on the PGA Tour, there are players who do better than what’s expected of them and there are those who fall short of expectations. Here at Pro Golf Now, we call them winners and losers. Here are the winners and losers from the 2021 Zozo Championship.
Winners
Hideki Matsuyama – Playing in Japan, Matsuyama was able to close this one out for his second victory in the calendar year. He also redeemed himself in his home country after falling just short of Tiger Woods there two years ago.
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Brendan Steele – With a T2 this week, Steele had his best finish in nearly two years. He was in the hunt all week, but his 66 on Sunday was not enough to catch Matsuyama. Still, a good week for Steele.
Cameron Tringale – He doesn’t win but Tringale finished T2 this week with four rounds in the 60s. He briefly grabbed the lead on Sunday but could not hold off a hard-charging Matsuyama. But Tringale tied the best finish of his PGA Tour career.
Mackenzie Hughes – He rallied on the weekend with rounds of 69 and 67 to end up in a tie for fourth place. It was his best finish since a T4 at Puntacana last season and a good early-season showing for Hughes.
Keegan Bradley – After shooting 70-71 on the first two days, Bradley could have simply mailed in the weekend. Instead, he shot 69 on Saturday, then 65 on Sunday to climb into the Top 10, finishing T7. That 65 on Sunday tied Matsuyama for the low round on the course.
Losers
Ryuji Imada – He hoped to do something special in his native Japan this week. Instead, Imada shot no better than 73 and he finished 77th, which was last among those who finished the week.
Garrick HIggo – Yes, he’s a bright young star in the game but he was nowhere near his best this week. Four rounds in the 70s left him in a tie for 75th out of 78 players.
Doc Redman – The lone bright spot was a 67 on Friday. Otherwise, Redman struggled, including a 76 on Thursday and a 79 on Saturday.
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Emiliano Grillo – Another player with four rounds in the 70s, Grillo was never in the mix this week. His 74 on Thursday and 75 on Saturday were killers.
Peter Malnati – He managed a 69 on Friday but shot over par in his other three rounds. He finished 74th in a field of 78 players.