Takashi Ogiso stole the early honours by carding a five-under-par 70 to lead the chasing pack after the first round of the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup on Thursday.
The 28-year-old, who is gunning for his second JGTO win this week, holds a two-shot advantage after trading six birdies against one bogey at the Shishido Hills Country Club.
View this post on Instagram
Mikumu Horikawa, Kazuki Higa and Ren Yonezawa are tied for second after they returned with matching 67s. Philippines’ Justin De Los Santos was among the five players bunched in equal fifth place after he signed for a 68 to trail Ogiso by three.
Ogiso started the final round of last year’s tournament tied for the lead, but eventually finished tied-12th. He is determined to improve on his showing this year – especially after setting the early pace.
View this post on Instagram
“I was really disappointed with my result last year, especially after starting the final round as one of the leaders. I hope history will not repeat itself this year, and I’m also determined not to let that happen again. So, I’m really happy to be in this position again, although it’s still early days.
“My shots and putting were pretty solid today. And, I didn’t make any mistakes apart from my only bogey on the second hole. If I can continue to hit the fairways, like what I did today, I will be able to create more chances for myself as the tournament goes on,” said Ogiso.
Defending champion Hiroshi Iwata struggled to a 73 and is tied-for 73rd place.
