This article first appeared on SportsLook, JAPAN Forward's dedicated sports website.
Former champions Ai Suzuki and Momoko Ueda shot bogey-free 7-under 65s on Thursday, November 3 to share the lead as the host nation dominated the first round of the LPGA Tour's Japan Classic.
Suzuki had four birdies on the front nine at the par-72 Seta Golf Course in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, and added three more after the turn for a one-stroke lead over 2021 champion Ayaka Furue and Sakura Koiwai, who both fired a 66 and are tied for third.
"I felt like I could have gone to 10-under," said Suzuki, who parted ways with her coach in October. "I just decided to go it alone and it's been working well."
A 28-year-old native of Tokushima Prefecture, Suzuki won this tournament in 2019, the last time it was included in the LPGA Tour's schedule.
Read the full story on SportsLook.
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles here.
