2022 Zozo Championship leaderboard, scores: Brendan Steele commands solo lead after Round 1

Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Mito Pereira are among the big names just off the lead

While many were asleep Wednesday evening on the East Coast of the United States, the 2022 Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, got underway. Headlined by defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, the most popular golfer in Japan, it was the dreary weather which ultimately took center stage in the first round. Competitors played with ball in hand as they dealt with rainy and wet conditions around Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

The man who adapted to his surroundings better than the rest of the field was Brendan Steele, who opened with a 6-under 64 to command the solo first-round lead. The 39-year-old was exquisite from the jump as he made birdie on the par-4 2nd before adding two more on Nos. 10 and 11. After a head-scratching bogey on the par-5 14th, Steele was left needing to recover, and recover he did with four birdies over the course of his final four holes.

Highlighted by a hole-out birdie from roughly 60 yards on the difficult par-4 17th, Steele was able to position his name atop the first page of the leaderboard that includes the likes of Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Mito Pereira. Matsuyama may have began his defense effort in middling fashion with a 1-over 71, but his fellow countryman Kazuki Higa is firmly in the mix after a 3-under 67 and will look to make it back-to-back Zozo Championship winners hailing from Japan.