Shugo Imahira leads the chasing pack by one shot after he carded a first round seven-under-par 65 at The Mizuno Open on Thursday.
Related: Ryosuke Kinoshita seeks Open route through Mizuno Open
The 32-year-old traded eight birdies against one bogey to top the leaderboard with Zimbabwean Scott Vincent, along with Toshinori Muto and Yosuke Asaji, trailing in tied-second place after they returned with matching 66s at the JFE Setonaikai Golf Club.
The Mizuno Open, which is part of the Open Qualifying Series, will offer the leading three players not already exempt who make the cut a place at the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in July.
View this post on Instagram
Having already been exempted for the Open because of his Japan Open win last year, Imahira is setting his sights on chasing his 11th JGTO victory this week.
“Not having to worry about finishing in the top three to qualify for The Open has definitely taken the pressure off me. It lets me focus purely on the tournament rather than treating it like a qualifier. So, I’m really aiming for another win this week,” said Imahira.
Imahira took advantage of the benign conditions to set the early pace, but is ready for the mental challenge should that change during the week.
“If the wind is not blowing hard, you can post a low score here. But when it picks up, it will become a battle of endurance. And I’m preparing myself for that,” said Imahira.
Vincent, who punched his ticket to The Open after winning The Mizuno Open in 2022, is seeking to rediscover his winning form. He got off to a promising start with an eagle-three on the second hole.
“The tee shot was a great one, landing on the left side of the fairway. I hit a four-iron for my second shot, missed the green just to the left, then chipped in with a 9-iron from about 30 yards,” said the 33-year-old.
Vincent then added four more birdies on holes five, six, seven and 11. He dropped two shots on 14 and 16 but battled back with a pair of birdies on 17 and 18 to stay in the hunt.
“I wasn’t in great form last year, but I made a few changes this season, and things are starting to improve little by little,” added Vincent.
