Yuta Sugiura will take a two-shot lead into the weekend rounds of this week’s ACN Championship Golf Tournament after posting a second round six-under-par 65 on Friday.
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The two-time JGTO winner, who broke into the scene by winning the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament as an amateur in 2023, mixed his card with five birdies, one eagle and a lone bogey on the par four 10th for a six-under-par 132 total.
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Mikumu Horikawa and Shugo Imahira are tied for second after signing for 68 and 67, respectively, while Taiga Semikawa carded a 69 to take outright fourth place at Miki Golf Club.
Sugiura was delighted to keep his momentum going despite the breezy conditions.
“It was really good to be able to make so many birdies today, especially with the strong winds,” said Sugiura. “My putting was the best part of my game. A few long ones went in, from about eight metres on the 11th and another from the same distance on the fourth.”
He credited his improved confidence on the greens to recent refinements in his putting routine.
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“Over the past month, I’ve been working on making the same stroke for both short and long putts,” he explained. “That’s made a big difference this week.”
The 24-year-old added that he is pleased with how his game has come together after a stretch of near misses.
“My game has felt good for a while now. I’ve been avoiding big mistakes, keeping my shots under control, and finding a lot of fairways. I’ll try not to force things over the weekend. I just play smart and avoid bogeys as much as possible,” said Sugiura.
