Taiga Nagano emerged as the early pacesetter at this week’s Japan Open after posting a first round three-under-par 67 under rainy conditions at the Nikko Country Club on Thursday.
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The 22-year-old, who won the LOPIA Fujisankei Classic last month, traded nine birdies against two double-bogeys and two bogeys to lead by one over South Korea’s Kim Seong-hyeon.
Major champion Adam Scott of Australia returned with a 70 to end the opening round in a share of ninth place with five other players after play was suspended due to poor visibility caused by fog and sunset.
24 players have yet to complete their first round.
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Nagano enjoyed a promising start with two birdies in his first four holes. He double bogeyed the sixth but recovered swiftly with two more birdies on six and eight. He then dropped another shot on nine to reach the turn in 35.
Nagano then birdied holes 10 and 11 in his back-nine. He dropped another two shots on 13 and 16, but made three birdies on 14, 15 and 18 to take pole position on the leaderboard.
“I’ve been feeling good about my game since the practice round. I’m confident that I would be able to get this score, especially since I only missed the fairway twice on my tee shots. It didn’t feel difficult. I think I’ll be hitting the rough more often from tomorrow onwards,” said Nagano.
Meanwhile, Scott, was also pleased with his efforts, especially under testing conditions.
“It was raining, so I’m pleased with my score despite the difficult conditions. I’m happy with my score on the first day, so I’m hoping to keep the momentum going into the weekend. I hope to stay near the top of the leaderboard.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to practice this afternoon, so I’ll take a break. I’ll save my energy for the weekend,” said the Australian.
