The opening round of the Japan Players Championship by Satosyokuhin was halted by inclement weather on Thursday, with four players locked in a share of the clubhouse lead before play was abandoned for the day on Thursday.
Related: Norris brings down Sakamoto to bag Hana Bank Invitational
Japan’s Ryuichi Oiwa, Hiroki Tanaka, Ren Yonezawa, and Yuta Kawakami all signed for matching seven-under-par 64s at Nishinasuno Country Club to sit atop the leaderboard.
View this post on Instagram
However, the afternoon’s play was suspended at 2:32pm local time due to heavy rainfall, and tournament officials later made the decision to call off the remainder of the round with course conditions deteriorating and no improvement in the forecast.
Round one is scheduled to resume at 6:30am on Friday, with the second round expected to get underway at 9:00am.
Tanaka, reflecting on his round, credited steady ball-striking for his strong start and said: “My tee shots and second shots were solid right from the front nine, and I had birdie looks on almost every hole. I never found myself in real trouble
“It was all about creating chances. Even after making the turn, I kept a good rhythm. From the 15th hole onward it got tricky, but I managed to hang in and save par.”
Kawakami, who has struggled to find form this season, was pleased with recent adjustments paying off.
View this post on Instagram
“I’ve been injury-free and physically fine since the start of the season, but things just weren’t clicking. A few days before this week, I shifted my focus to how I use my muscles rather than sticking strictly to my usual form. It felt good in practice, so I brought that into the tournament — thankfully, it worked out.”
Oiwa admitted his game is still a work in progress despite his strong start.
“Today’s done — hopefully, I can keep improving tomorrow. I’m still not feeling 100%, so I’ll just try not to expect too much and give it my best.”
Yonezawa, meanwhile, was relieved to finally find success on a course that he had always struggled in.
“I got off to a good start. To be honest, it’s always been tough for me to score here. But I decided to play aggressively, knowing you have to go low on this layout. I had two bogeys, but that’s part of it. I just kept firing at the pins.”
The Japan Players Championship is marking its fifth edition this year, offering a total prize fund of JPY 50,000,000, with the winner set to take home JPY 10,000,000.
