Xander Schauffele picks out the holes which could be really difficult at the ZOZO Championship this week

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PGA Tour star Xander Schauffele is back in action for the first time since the Presidents Cup at this week’s ZOZO Championship in Japan.

Schauffele played a vital role in Montreal off the back of what was a double-major winning season for the diminutive American.

This week’s FedEx Cup fall event at Narashino Country Club is a chance for the 30-year-old to remain sharp against a strong field which has travelled across the Pacific.

Schauffele’s remarkable 2024 form could continue this week, and the reigning Open Championship winner believes the course in Inzai could prove particularly testing.

Xander Schauffele names hard holes at ZOZO Championship

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Speaking during his press conference on Tuesday, Schauffele admitted he was looking to split the course into two sections, with par being an excellent score on five or six holes.

“There are five or six holes where you just have to try and play for par on the property,” Schauffele said. “If you can do that that will give you a big advantage on the field.

“There are probably another five or six holes where you can feel like you can make birdies each day. The course is very polarising when it comes to holes. You feel like you can birdie vs parring. My plan is to separate the two and try and treat them as separate tournaments.”

The American continued: “Four is a long par four, five is a very difficult par three with water, nine is a very long par four, 11 and 12 are two very long par fours and 17 is another very difficult par four. 16 would probably be another hole where I would want a par. I don’t know if that’s more than four, but if I can make par of all those holes, I would be very happy.”

Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa in strong ZOZO Championship field

Schauffele is joined by 2023 ZOZO Championship winner Collin Morikawa in Japan this week. Morikawa cruised to a six-shot victory last year and is hunting successive titles.

Despite finishing second in the FedEx Cup standings, Morikawa failed to taste victory during the 2024 PGA Tour season.

Justin Thomas has also made the trip to Japan after spending time away from the course after the Tour Championship at East Lake. Max Homa and Hideki Matsuyama are the other notable names set to feature.

After a relatively low-key stretch of the season, the big names in the ZOZO Championship field will hopefully garner interest.