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Last year, Justin Suh shared a stage with Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland for a press conference celebrating the next crop of promising prospects coming out of college.
Suh was a two-time first-team All-American and had held the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He, too, was expected to have quick success.
But while the other three players he sat alongside last June have all won on the PGA TOUR, Suh has struggled with a wrist injury that necessitated a swing change.
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He was given a sponsor exemption into this week’s Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, and in the first round he flashed some of the potential that he showed at USC, where he set the school’s single-season records for scoring average (68.7) and wins (five).
Suh shot 67 on Thursday, tying his career-low round on the PGA TOUR. It’s a good start as he tries to join Morikawa, Wolff and Hovland as winners on the PGA TOUR.
Suh, a native of San Jose, California, said it’s been great to see those guys compete in and win majors, but he’s eager to reach their level.
“They really got their game together just right off the bat after turning pro,” he said. “Matt (Wolff) just finished second at the U.S. Open and Collin (Morikawa) winning the PGA (Championship). … I played with Collin a couple weeks ago and got him in an 18-hole match, so the game’s there, it’s just a matter of putting it together at a tournament.”
The 23-year-old said he’s feeling totally healthy now after the wrist injury that occurred during his first few starts on the PGA TOUR. The nagging feeling had him change his setup, he said, in order to feel comfortable.
“It was something that was needed for the long run,” he said of his change. He’s seen some promising signs since making the change, including three consecutive top-10s on the LOCALiQ Series, a U.S.-based circuit for members of the PGA TOUR’s international tours.
Suh started Thursday with back-to-back bogeys but birdied three of the final five holes on his opening nine. He made three birdies and an eagle – on the par-5 7th – on his second nine to put a bow on his opening-round 67.
Suh said the course received some rain overnight and the wind wasn’t blowing as hard as he assumed it would be early Thursday, which made for more gettable conditions.
Not only was Suh inspired by the success of the fellow members of the Class of 2019, but this week he’s been paired with Will Zalatoris – who is No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and is coming off a T6 at the U.S. Open.
“He’s kind of been the guy to beat this week. Fortunately enough, I’m paired with him and we were just kind of trading birdies and the last five holes had a good finish,” said Suh. “Putts were rolling in and hopefully they continue to roll in for the rest of the week.”
Now fully healthy, Suh will take his opening round as a positive sign that he’s on track to join that celebrated Class of 2019 as TOUR winners sooner rather than later.
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Source: PGA tour
