Filipino ace Juvic Pagunsan took a head start in the chase for the 40-million yen (about P15 million) top prize, firing a six-under-par 66 Friday for a one-stroke lead in the Japan Open.
Pagunsan tamed the 7,394-yard par-72 Rokko Kokusai Golf Club East Course with seven birdies against a lone bogey to zoom to the top of the leaderboard in one of Asia’s richest golf events.
He led Ryutaro Nagano of Japan by one shot and another Filipino, Angelo Que, and four others by two.
Pagunsan went four under in the front nine with birdies on the first, fourth, fifth and seventh holes and then picked up three more shots on Nos. 11, 12 and 14 to get seven under.
He would have been perfect in the round if not for a missed-green bogey on the 17th hole.
First-round leaderboard: 66—J. Pagunsan (PH), 67—R. Nagano R; 68—A. Que (PH), Cho MG, Hwang JG, Y. Ikeda, K. Oda; 69—A. Bland; T. Kanaya, S. Katayama, Kim SH, T. Kondo, Lee KH, Y. Miyazato, K. Murota, Park SH, Song YH, H, Tanihara.