Takahiro Hataji stole the early honours in the first round of the Vantelin Tokai Classic with a flawless seven-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead over Taichiro Ideriha at the Myoshi Country Club on Thursday.
Related: Kensei Hirata has season’s fourth win on JGTO
Philippines Justin De Los Santos, who only made the cut six times in his last 16 outings, had his best opening start of 2024 when he signed for a 66 to be among the five players – including man of the moment Kensei Hirata – bunched in third place.
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Having been forced to withdraw from the Panasonic Open last week, Hataji is pleased to be back in the pink of health. He started strongly with birdies on holes three, five, six and eight to reach the turn in 31. He then improved his card with three more birdies on the 12th, 14th and 16th holes to take pole position.
“Up until last week, things weren’t going well overall, and I was also fatigued, leading to heatstroke and having to withdraw. It was the first time in my life I had to withdraw due to poor health,” said Hataji.
When asked about his expectations for this week, the 31-year-old said: “People around me have been telling me I’m close to winning another one or two more titles after my win at Kansai Open. But winning isn’t that easy and it just important for me to stay grounded for now.”
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Hirata, who has already won three times this season, remains firmly in the hunt for another grandstand finish. He showed his supremacy again when he birdied holes one, five, 11, 12 and 15 to remain bogey-free again in his first 16 holes.
His bogey-free run finally ended when he dropped a shot on 17. It was the first time since he last dropped a shot during his opening round of the Panasonic Open last week – a tournament which he won to become the first JGTO player in 23 years to win three tournaments in a month.
However, the bogey only gave him further resolve to end his round on a positive note.
“I was hoping to get through the round again without a bogey. But then 17 came along, and I thought, “Well, that’s how it goes.” But I think that bogey actually helped me finish with a birdie on the last hole.
“Mentally, it was going to make a big difference between finishing with two pars versus a birdie. So, I’m happy it ended on a positive note heading into tomorrow,” said Hirata.
