Veteran Kiyoshi Murota and defending champion Ryoken Kawagishi both shot 5-under-par 67s Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the 200 million yen Philip Morris Championship golf tournament.
Kawagishi and Murota both had six birdies against a lone bogey to reach the ABC Golf Club clubhouse one stroke ahead of a group of seven players in the event that offers the highest prize money of all the tournaments in Japan.
Rookie Hidemasa Hoshino, a three-time winner of the Japan Amateur Championship, shot a 68 along with Toru Taniguchi and Mitsuo Harada, who are featured in the chasing pack one shot off the lead.
Money-rankings leader Nobuhito Sato got off to a slow start, shooting a 1-over 73 for a share of 52nd.