Tomoyo Ikemura shared the opening day honours with South Korea’s Eom Jae-woong after signing for a blemish-free seven-under-par 65 at the Shinhan Donghae Open which is tri-sanctioned by the JGTO, Asian Tour and KPGA.
Australia’s Anthony Quayle, a JGTO member, also kept the bogeys off his card, posting a 67 to trail the early pacesetters by two shots in a share of fourth place with four other players including Kosuke Suzuki at the Ocean Course at Club72, located near Incheon Airport.
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Ikemura, a two-time JGTO winner, is searching for his first win abroad. He signalled his intention to do so with a birdie on his first hole before picking up another on the par-five fifth hole amid persistent rain and gusty conditions.
After turning in 34, he stormed ahead with five birdies in his next seven holes before making two straight pars on 17 and 18 for a 65.
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“Despite the rain early in the round, I felt I started well, especially with my putting. When the rain began to ease in the back-nine, I was able to focus on hitting my shots with more confidence and not get frustrated when they came up short,” said the 29-year-old, who has three top-10 finishes this season on the JGTO.
“Overall, I’m happy with my play and position. However, it’s still early and I want to keep improving. I need to hit more fairways so that I can attach the pins more aggressively,” said Ikemura.
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Defending champion Koh Gun-taek signed for a 71, leaving the South Korean tied for 57th place, six shots back of the early leaders.
