Takashi Ogiso will take an early one-shot lead into the second round of the ANA Open Golf Tournament after carding a first-round nine-under-par 63 on Thursday.
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Ogiso birdied three of his last four holes to take the outright lead after Ryutaro Nagano had reached the clubhouse with a bogey-free 64 earlier. Yusaku Miyazato ended the day in third place after posting a 65.
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Ogiso, who won his maiden title at the Hana Bank Invitational in June, got off to a promising start with four birdies in his opening six holes at the Sapporo Golf Club Wattsu Course in Hokkaido.
He reached the turn in 32 but marred his card with his only bogey on 10, which actually turned out to be the turning point in his round.
“I lost the ball there. But in hindsight, that bogey turned out to be crucial. If it had been a double bogey, my mood could have dropped, but I managed to get through with just a bogey. I reminded myself there were still two long holes left to play, so I kept focusing,” said the 27-year-old.
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Ogiso regained his composure with an eagle on 12 followed by another birdie on 13. He then stormed home with three successive birdies starting from the par-four 15.
“I was hitting good shots all day which gave me the confidence to aim for the pin when I hit the fairway. That created a lot of chances. The putts were going in as well, so all of these have led to today’s good score.
“It’s only the first day. It’s been a while since I played such good golf, so I’m happy to have had a strong start,” said Ogiso.
