Australia's Richard Backwell shot a 1-under-par 71 Friday to maintain a two-stroke lead midway through the 140 million yen Ube Kosan Open, while Toru Taniguchi made a move in his bid for back-to-back tour victories.
Backwell, who grabbed the lead after a first-round 66, carded four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey on his way to a 7-under 137 total after two rounds at Ube 72 Country Club.
Taniguchi made seven birdies in Friday's low round of 67 and moved two strokes off the pace at 5-under 139.
Aussie, Swede lead
OTSU, Shiga Pref. (Kyodo) Australia's Rachel Hetherington and Sophie Gustafson of Sweden fired 6-under-par 66s on Friday to set the early pace after the first round of the Mizuno Classic golf tournament.
Hetherington, winless on the U.S. LPGA Tour this year, put together six birdies -- including four straight from No. 4 -- in a flawless trek at Seta Golf Course in Shiga Prefecture to join Gustafson in the lead one stroke clear of Japan's Midori Yoneyama and Diana D'Alessio of the United States.