PGA Tour: Xinjun Zhang solid on first day of 3M Open
By Tim Letcher
Xinjun Zhang continues to be a grinder on the PGA Tour. And his grinding on Thursday earned him a spot near the top of the 3M Open leaderboard
Xinjun Zhang is not a name that many PGA Tour fans may know very well. However, he continues to have a solid season on tour, including his strong opening round on Thursday at the 3M Open.
Zhang (pronounced Shin June Jong) opened his Thursday round on the back nine and he recorded pars on both the 10th and 11th holes. His round was jump-started on the par-5 12th hole, where he hit the green in two, then ran in a 31-foot putt for eagle to get to 2-under par.
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After a par on the 13th hole, Zhang birdied the 14th hole and was at 3-under par. He would par the 15th and 16th holes before birdies on the 17th and 18th holes closed out his first nine. Zhang shot a 5-under par 31 on that nine.
Zhang opened his second nine with a par on the first hole before his only blemish of the day. A poor second shot, followed by a not-so-great chip left him with 25 feet for par. He would miss that putt and tap in for a bogey.
After a par on the third hole, Zhang got it going again with a birdie on the par-3 fourth hole, followed by a birdie on the par-4 fifth hole. He would par out to shoot a 1-under 34 on his second nine and a 6-under par 65 for the day.
The Shanxi, China, native has had pretty good success on tour this year. He has played in a whopping 21 events so far this season, making 12 cuts thus far. He has six top 25s and three top 10s so far on the season.
His best showing came when he tied for fourth, a career-best finish, at the Houston Open in October. He tied for seventh at the Safeway Open in September as well.
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Since the tour resumed, Zhang has had his share of problems. He missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the Travelers Championship, the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the Workday Charity Open. However, he bounced back last week with his third top 10 of the season, as he quietly tied for 10th at the Memorial Tournament.
Zhang is currently 64th in the FedEx Cup standings and is trying to make the playoffs for the first time in his career. A solid showing this week might secure that spot. And Zhang is off to a good start in that quest at the 3M Open.