Seamus Power of Ireland skillfully registered a stunning eight-under-par 62 in the second day of the Zozo Championship, tying him for the fourth spot. During a second round devoid of bogeys in Japan, the 37-year-old scored eight birdies, a feat that pushed him up 31 spots on the leaderboard. After his first round 69, Power’s overall score moves to nine under, three strokes adrift of front-runner Nico Echavarria at Narashino Country Club.
The Colombian, Echavarria, notably carded his second concurrent round of 64 which allowed him to overtake American contender, Taylor Moore, for the top spot. Justin Thomas, the two-time winner of the PGA Championship, is tied with Moore at second place, trailing the lead by two shots.
Both Eric Cole and Taiwan’s CT Pan found themselves sharing the fourth rank alongside the Waterford-born Power, after respective rounds of 67 and 66. Power remarked that shooting a 62 usually implies things are going in your favour while reflecting on his slightly tricky initial start where he had to make a good par save on the first three holes. Power indicated that his performance in subsequent holes was significantly better.
The Open champ Xander Schauffele, despite scoring a 65 on his birthday, remained far from the lead, a full 10 shots behind due to a lacklustre score of 73 in the initial round. With two-under-par, he sits far off from the top positions.