Takahiro Hataji clung on to his lead in the second round of the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters when play was suspended due to fog.
Hataji, who shared the opening-day lead with Tatsuya Kodai and Yujiro Ohori, maintained a one-stroke advantage with two holes still left to be completed when thick fog swept in from the Pacific, enveloping Shizuoka’s Taiheiyo Club.
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However, the 30-year-old Hataji is not alone at the top. He is joined by Shugo Imahira and Taiki Yoshida at seven-under-par for the tournament.
For Hataji, the suspension could prove to be a blessing in disguise, as he was facing difficulties on the back-nine just before the horn sounded at 2:22 pm local time.
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He dropped three shots with a double bogey on the 11th and a bogey on the 15th — a stark contrast to his brilliant start with six birdies in the opening half of his round.
Yoshida was enjoying the best round of the day, shooting six-underw through 14 holes by mixing an eagle, five birdies, and a lone bogey so far.
Two-time JGTO No. 1, Imahira, also put himself in contention by going four-under for the day after 15 holes, one stroke ahead of veteran Shingo Katayama. Katayama shot up to solo fourth from his starting position of tied-32nd with an impressive bogey-free scorecard containing five birdies through 15.
Katayama, 50, is seeking his third victory in the tournament after having previously triumphed in 2008 and 2015.
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Justin De Los Santos of the Philippines, among the 24 players who managed to complete their play, carded a 69 to provisionally tie for fifth at four-under overall with five others, including South Korea’s Song Young-han (two-under through 17) and two-time champion Hideto Tanihara (two-under through 14).
Ohori was able to finish his round but battled to a 72, slipping to provisional T15, while Kodai has his work cut out for him after going three-over through 11.
With visibility continuing to be poor following the first suspension, officials eventually called off the second round at 3:05 pm, with the remaining 61 players scheduled to resume action at 7:15 am tomorrow.
