Keiichiro Fukabori birdied the first and last holes of a scorching first-round 7-under 65 Thursday to take the lead at the Hisamitsu-KBC Augusta golf tournament.
Fukabori carved up the Keya Golf Club's 7,154-yard, par-72 layout, making seven birdies in a bogey-free round to put himself one shot clear of Taiwanese journeyman Lin Keng-chi and Kazumasa Sakaitani at the 90 million yen event.
Meanwhile, Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki got off to a sluggish start and could only muster a 1-over 73 for a share of 79th.
Shingo Katayama, who finished an impressive fourth at last week's U.S. PGA Championship, and current money-rankings leader Hidemichi Tanaka are among a host of big names who are not appearing in the tournament.