The first round of the Japan PGA Championship, a major domestic golf tournament for men, was held in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, and 35-year-old Yuta Kinoshita took the lead with a 6-under.
Kinoshita, who is aiming for the second victory of the tour, went around with six birdies without bogey and took the lead with 6 under.
Five players, including Shingo Katayama and Hiroshi Iwata, lined up in second place with a one-stroke difference, and Ryo Ishikawa, who is aiming to win the tournament for the second time in a row, placed in seventh place with four unders, along with Miraimu Horikawa.
Rikuya Hoshino, who has been nominated for the Tokyo Olympics, is 38th with 1 under.
Ryosuke Kinoshita, who is aiming to win the championship for three consecutive tournaments, was behind in 103rd place with three overs.