The Japanese trio of Tomohiro Ishizaka, Taisei Yamada, Yusaku Miyazato together with Korea’s Lee Sang-hee began their campaign at this week’s Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters promisingly after carding five-under-par 65 to share the first round lead on Thursday.
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Yamada, who is chasing his breakthrough on the JGTO, credited consistent ball-striking for his strong start at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course.
“From the morning, my shots felt really good, and that gave me a lot of stability,” said the 30-year-old. “My greens-in-regulation rate must have been high today, and I was able to give myself plenty of birdie chances. That’s why I managed to make six birdies.”
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He avoided major trouble, though there were a few moments that could have gone either way.
“At the 16th, my tee shot went behind the trees, but I realised I actually had a shot. I guess there was a bit of luck there,” he said.
Yamada’s most satisfying birdie came at the par-five 18th, where he played smart under tricky wind conditions.
“I chose to lay up even though I could’ve gone for it. My third shot from about 115 yards landed right next to the hole, exactly as I pictured it,” he said.
Guidance from veteran Hideto Tanihara during practice rounds helped Yamada navigate the fast and tricky greens.
“Tanihara-san showed me which parts of the greens were faster than they looked, and he was spot on,” Yamada noted.
Ishizaka also impressed, mixing precise iron play with a steady putting touch to post five-under 65, while Miyazato and Lee matched the pace with clean rounds highlighted by timely birdies on the closing holes.
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The quartet holds a one-shot cushion over a chasing pack that includes five players – Ryutaro Nagano, Satoshi Kodaira, Mikumu Horikawa, Ren Yonezawa, Takahiro Hataji – who are tied for fifth.
The Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, with a total purse of ¥200 million, marks a critical part of the JGTO season as players battle for money ranking points and momentum heading into the final tournaments of the year.
