Chiba (Japan), Aug 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele, who have won a combined 18 PGA Tour victories, will headline the 2023 Zozo Championship, to be held from October 19-22 here at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club, the Tournament officials announced on Tuesday.
Joining the trio will be two of the PGA Tour’s newest young stars, Akshay Bhatia and Min Woo Lee.
Fowler, 34, ended a four-year title drought when he captured his sixth PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in July, beating Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff at Detroit Golf Club. He also posted seven other top-10s, including a runner-up finish in last year’s Zozo Championship where he was the 54-hole leader before finishing one stroke behind champion, Keegan Bradley.
He has also qualified for this week’s FedExCup Finale, the Tour Championship, for the first time since 2019.
Morikawa has played in every edition of the Zozo Championship since its inauguration in 2019, with a T7 in 2021 being his best finish. The 26-year-old is a two-time major champion following memorable victories in the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 Open Championship, in addition to three other PGA TOUR wins.
In the 2022-23 Season, Morikawa finished runner-up at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and Rocket Mortgage Classic, while he also came in third in the Farmers Insurance Open.
Seven-time Tour winner and official 2023 Ryder Cup team member after his T8 finish at BMW Championship, Schauffele, has registered 10 top-10s this season, including a runner-up finish at the Wells Fargo Championship and a joint third at The American Express. Like Morikawa, the Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner has played in every Zozo Championship and finished T9 last year and T10 in the first edition.
Bhatia, 21, claimed his maiden PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship in July after accepting Special Temporary Membership following a runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open in March. The left-hander turned professional at age 17 and has also won once on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022.
Lee, 25, is a two-time DP World Tour winner from Australia and has produced some sparkling performances on the PGA TOUR this year, including a T6 at The Players Championship, T9 at the Travelers Championship and T5 at the U.S. Open, which was his first top-10 in a major championship.
He earned Special Temporary Membership following the conclusion of the PGA Championship in May.
The Zozo Championship will showcase a 78-man field which will compete over four rounds with no cut. It will feature 60 players from the FedExCup points list, and players designated by the Japan Golf Tour Organization, including the winner of the 2023 BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup (Takumi Kanaya) and sponsor exemptions.
The winner will earn 500 FedExCup points . As part of PGA Tour Fall, the ZoZo Championship offers players the opportunity to secure their PGA TOUR status and earn additional playing opportunities for the 2024 season.
Winners of each Fall event will receive a two-year PGA TOUR exemption, entry into the season-opening The Sentry and The Players Championship, plus qualify for majors where PGA TOUR victories count as eligibility status.
Source: IANS
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