Takahiro Hataji completed 24 holes on Friday to take a share of the second round lead with Satoshi Kodaira at the weather-hit ACN Championship Golf Tournament.
Related: Weather disrupts opening round of ACN Championship
Kodaira, who held the first round lead at six-under through 12 holes, also returned to finish his remaining six holes, signing for a six-under-par 65.
Barely an hour later, Hataji and Kodaira were back at the starting tee to commence their second round where Hataji continued where he left off with another birdie blitz.
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He stormed ahead with four birdies on holes two, three, seven and nine to reach the turn in 31. The 31-year-old, who secured his second JGTO win last week, then added four more birdies in his back-nine for a bogey-free 63.
Reflecting on his marathon round, Hataji credited his good fortune for ensuring he heads into the weekend in a commanding position again.
“I guess it’s luck. I had six holes left from the first round, and I started the morning by missing a 70cm par putt. But from then on, things started to turn around and I ended the first round with 4-under.
“I began the second round with that momentum. My shots weren’t that great but I made several 5-6 meter putts and managed to ride on that luck. This is because when so many 5-6 meter putts go in, including two 5-meter par putts, I think that’s lucky. It feels like that kind of day when the putts are just dropping.”
“Yesterday, I spent over five hours waiting before starting my round. Mentally and physically, this tournament has been particularly draining,” said Hataji.
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While Hataji took advantage of his putting prowess, Kodaira relied on his iron play to put him in contention for his eighth win on the JGTO, as he shares the lead with Hataji with their matching two-day total of 12-under-par 130.
“My shots have been really good over the last two days. I found something during the practice rounds, and when I kept doing it, it brought me back to the feeling I had when I was playing well in the past.
My shots are really solid, but my putts just aren’t dropping. I didn’t sink enough putts and that can be a bit frustrating for me.”
“If I can get my putting right, I think I can make a run for the top. I’d like to be in a position to aim for the win by the back nine on the final day. I’ll work on improving bit by bit to make that happen,” said Kodaira.
12 players have yet to complete their second round as it had to be suspended due to darkness.
