Go shines amid stormy weather in Japan

MANILA, Philippines — Lloyd Go sizzled in stormy conditions, gunning down four birdies in the first 12 holes before play was suspended due to inclement weather in the second round of the Minami Akita CC Michinoku Challenge Tournament in Akita, Japan Thursday.

With the par-71 Minamiakita Country Club in Akita rendered unplayable due to incessant rains, organizers decided to reduce the 54-hole tournament to a 36-hole affair, with the resumption set for 8 a.m. on Friday.

Go, who carded a 70 in the first round on Wednesday with three birdies and two bogeys, surprisingly put his act together when the going got tough. He birdied Nos. 2, 4, and 7 to make the turn at 33 then sustained his momentum with another birdie on the 10th.

After back-to-back pars, however, play was halted due to unplayable conditions.

The Filipino ace’s second-round charge lifted him from a previous tie for 57th to a share of 17th on a running five-under aggregate. He hopes to remain as hot as ever when play resumes on Friday in pursuit of a strong finish in the Abema Tour.

But with the tournament reduced to 36 holes, Go would need no less than a brilliant card to overcome a six-stroke deficit to Yuki Furukawa, who seized the clubhouse lead with an 11-under output and a five-under card with seven holes remaining at the front.

Kunihiro Kamii, however, stood just a shot behind at 10-under with a three-under card after nine holes at the back, while Kenya Nakayama and Takeru Kawakami had a pair of nine-under totals after matching five-under outputs with five and two holes left, respectively, setting the stage for a fierce showdown at resumption.