Tour veteran Chieko Nishida tied the Yonex Country Club's course record with a blistering 8-under-par 64 to establish a four-shot lead after the first round of the Yonex Ladies Open on Friday.
Taiwan's Tseng Hsiu-feng, a five-time winner on the Japanese pro circuit, recovered from a shaky start after dropping shots on her first two holes to make seven birdies and a bogey to reach the clubhouse four shots back on 68.
Yuri Fudo leads a quartet of golfers a further stroke back after going round in 69. Chieko Amanuma, who won last week's New Caterpillar Mitsubishi Ladies for back-to-back tour victories and for her fourth win of the season, is sitting out the tournament. The Yonex Ladies Open offers a top prize of 10.8 million yen from the 60 million yen purse.