Shugo

Imahira

This is the 27-year-old’s 13th career TOUR event with a best of T27 in his most recent at the no-cut 2019 WGC-FedEx St. Jude, where he was T2 and solo 6th after 18 and 36 holes, respectively (65-69-71-72). He checks in off NINE CONSECUTIVE weeks of competition, which saw him record nine top-20 finishes, six of those top 10s (six in a row), highlighted by his win at the Bridgestone Open (as defender) two weeks ago on the Japan Golf Tour (shortened to 36 holes due to Typhoon Hagibis). Imahira’s other notable PGA TOUR action was a missed cut by three at the 2019 Masters (76-74) on a special invite, and a DQ at the 2018 WGC-HSBC in his WGC debut, where he missed his R3 tee time.

Beginning off No. 10 tee, the 26-year-old landed seven (of 14) fairways and 13 greens in regulation. He posted 0.215 SG: Off-the-Tee, 0.674 SG: Approach, 0.565 SG: Around, and 1.455 SG: Tee-to-Green. Imahira squared two bogey-5s at 15 and 6, slightly outpaced by three birdies at 13, 18 and 4, two from between 13 and 29 feet. He registered 1.769 putts per GIR and -0.312 SG: Putting with 30 total putts. The Japanese player will be in the third-to-last twosome on Saturday with Billy Horschel.

The 26-year-old from Japan put on a short-game clinic today. He split just 8-of-14 fairways with 10 greens. From there, he gained 2.6 strokes around-the-green and picked up another 2.1 strokes putting. That goes in the books as his career-best around-the-green performance on the PGA TOUR but he has fared better with putter (+3.5 SGP in R2 of 2019 WGC-Mexico and +3.1 SGP in R4 of 2019 Sony Open) which seems to be the strength of his game. Entering the week, Imahira was just 2-for-9 in PGA TOUR events that featured a 36-hole cut in addition to a DQ and T39 in WGC appearances. He’s off to a much better start this time around but there are big numbers lurking everywhere at TPC Southwind which is scary for a golfer that relies so heavily on his short game.

The 26-year-old will hope to improve on his WGC debut, when he shot 72-79 at the HSBC Champions and was then disqualified. The 26-year-old is mostly untested away from home shores, with three missed cuts from three major championship starts. A solid enough performer for two years on the Japan Tour his career moved up a notch with wins in 2017 and 2018 (in all his owns 14 top threes in Japan). Last seen in action opening 65-67 in the Sony Open to lie T7 at halfway before a weekend 71-69 left him T33.

The 26-year-old hit seven (of 14) fairways and 15 greens in regulation, losing 0.266 strokes off-the-tee but gaining 1.652 approaching and 1.412 around-the-green. He squared a lone bogey-5 at hole 2 (3-putt from 12'0"), offset by two birdies at 14 and 7, both from between 10 and 28 feet, adding a 21'2" eagle-3 at 18 from the fringe. The Japanese star posted 1.800 putts per GIR and -0.678 SG: Putting with 30 total putts.

The 26-year-old got the news earlier this week that he received a special invitation into this year’s Masters Tournament. Perhaps riding that wave of good news, Imahira pelted 15 greens in regulation on the heels of 3.431 strokes gained approaching-the-green. He currently leads the field in SG:Tee-to-Green (+4.906). This is Imahira’s sixth career start on the PGA TOUR and it’ll go in the books as his new personal best on the big stage (beating a 4-under 66 which is posted in R4 of this event last year). Playing on a sponsor’s invite this week, Imahira arrived with eight straight top 15s, worldwide, and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down this week, regardless of the bump in field strength.

The 26-year-old, who won the 2018 Order of Merit on the Japan Golf Tour, got the news on Tuesday. The Masters was the only major that he hadn’t competed in, missing the cuts at the 2018 PGA, the 2017 U.S. Open, and by two at the 2016 Open in his TOUR and major debut after rounds of 68-80. This is the Japanese star’s sixth overall TOUR start with last year’s Sony his only cash, and notoriously was DQ’d in his WGC debut at the 2018 HSBC, where he was 74th (of 78) thru 36 holes (72-79) but missed his R3 tee time. He checks in off eight straight top-13 finishes on the Asian and JGTO, beginning the run with his second JGTO title at the Bridgestone Open back in October. Overall, Imahira recorded 14 top 10s in 2018 in 27 starts, including seven podiums.

The 23-year-old from Japan split 11 (of 14) fairways and found 13 greens in regulation. The highlight of the round came at the par-5 sixth hole where he circled an eagle-3. That came on the heels of a birdie-bogey combo at the two holes prior, vaulting him from even-par to 2-under. After circling his second birdie of the round at the par-4 ninth, he cruised home on the difficult back nine with nothing but pars. Making his first start in a PGA TOUR event, Imahira is showing no signs of nerves. He entered the week with podium finishes in two of his last five starts on the Japan Golf Tour.

The 25-year-old is making quiet progress through the Japanese ranks. He topped the 2014 Japanese secondary circuit to earn promotion and has since improved his main tour rank each year: 24th to 10th to a current rank this season of fifth. He has nine top fives this year, including a maiden victory in May’s Kansai Open and a play-off defeat in last month’s ANA Open. He was T3 in last week’s weather disrupted Bridgestone Open. He has limited experience away from his home tour. He opened the 2016 Open with a 68 before crashing out with a second round 80 and missed the cut in this year’s Maybank Championship U.S. Open, but was T35 in January’s solid-field Asian Tour Singapore Open.