Taiki Yoshida, Shugo Imahira, Kosuke Sunagawa and Kota Kaneko enjoyed encouraging starts as they opened with matching five-under-par 66s to share the first-round lead at the inaugural Fortinet Players Cup on Thursday.
Playing at the Narita Hills Country Club, the quartet handled the demanding 7,137 yard, par 71 layout impressively as the ¥150,000,000 event teed off for the first time on the JGTO schedule.
Related: Stars ready to tee off for inaugural Fortinet Players Cup
Yoshida, who has only missed two cuts all season, credited his putting for helping him post a solid opening score.
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“It was definitely my putting,” said Yoshida. “Even from long range, I didn’t miss any short putts. In the morning, the greens were perfect. If you hit it on your intended line, the ball would go in.”
Despite not being fully satisfied with his ball-striking, Yoshida, who is chasing his JGTO breakthrough this week, was pleased to have relied on his short game to keep the momentum going.
“I wasn’t completely satisfied with my shots today. It was really my putting that saved the round.”
The 28-year-old also shared that consistency this season has come from a simple motivation.
“Honestly, just the motivation to make money!” he laughed.
With a wedding planned for December, Yoshida added that he would like to achieve a victory before his big day.
“I would like to get a win before my wedding,” he said. “That’s my biggest motivation right now.”
While Yoshida is chasing his maiden win, Shugo Imahira will be gunning for his 11th victory. He was pleased to have recovered strongly from a shaky start where he opened with a pair of bogeys on the first and second holes.
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“To be honest, after the start, I almost felt like going home,” said Imahira. “My tee shot on the first went right, then the next hole went left. Maybe it was because the practice range here is uphill. It might’ve thrown off my timing.”
The 33-year-old managed to make quick adjustments and regain his rhythm as the round progressed where he went on to mark his card with five birdies and one eagle on the par-five nine.
“The wind was a bit strong early on, and I think I was swinging too hard. Once I lightened up, my timing came back. After I got back under par on the ninth, I decided to go on the attack on the back nine,” said Imahira.
Sunagawa was also delighted with his opening effort, which was highlighted by an eagle on the ninth hole that helped him climb into a share of the lead.
“From a good spot on the fairway, I hit my second shot with a three-wood, but honestly, I missed it a bit to the right,” said Sunagawa. “Luckily, it stopped on the fringe at the back of the green, and I managed to hole the putt from just over one pin length.”
Sunagawa admitted his round was not without setbacks, including a costly double bogey on 15 that briefly halted his early momentum.
“I had a good run early, but then I made a double bogey because of a poor decision,” he said. “Conditions were tough, so I told myself that finishing one-under on the back nine would be fine. I managed to stay calm and play steadily after that.”
Sunagawa, who is currently battling to secure his playing rights for next season, was pleased to start the week strongly.
“I’m right on the edge of keeping my Tour card, so this good start means a lot,” he said. “There are only three tournaments left where I can play, I really want to make the most of this opportunity.”
He acknowledged the pressure of the season’s final stretch but welcomed the challenge.
“Of course there’s pressure,” he admitted. “But every top player has gone through this, and I want to face it head-on. Being able to perform under that pressure today gives me confidence moving forward.”
