Eagle-spiked 66 puts Delos Santos in early mix

MANILA, Philippines – Justin delos Santos surged into early contention with a brilliant five-under-par 66, trailing Takahiro Hataji by just two strokes in the opening round of the Vantelin Tokai Classic 2024 at the Miyoshi Country Club’s West Course in Aichi, Japan on Thursday.

Starting at the par-4 10th, the Filipino-American shotmaker found early momentum with a stunning pitch-in eagle on the next hole, another par-4, before adding a two-putt birdie on the par-5 12th of the par-71 layout. He picked up another stroke on the 16th but gave one back on the next hole after a missed green.

The 29-year-old California Polytechnic State University graduate carried his fine form to the front nine, carding three more birdies against a lone bogey. This performance earned him a share of third place alongside four local golfers, making it one of his best starts on the Japan Golf Tour.

Still in search of a breakthrough victory in the region's premier circuit, delos Santos has shown promise this season, notably with a tied-12th finish at the Yokohama Minato Championship.

However, consistency has been an issue, with 10 missed cuts in 18 tournaments. Yet, buoyed by his strong start, delos Santos enters Friday’s second round brimming with confidence.

At the top of the leaderboard, Hataji delivered a stellar performance, firing a bogey-free 64 with seven birdies — four at the front and three at the back — to seize a one-shot lead over Taichiro Ideriha, who posted a 65.

Joining delos Santos at 66 are Takanori Konishi, Kensei Hirata, Yusaku Hosono, and Tomoharu Otsuki.

Meanwhile, two-time Japan Golf Tour winner Juvic Pagunsan struggled to find his form, carding a 75, leaving him in joint 90th and in danger of missing the cut.

In Hyogo, also in Japan, Lloyd Go faltered with a second-round 72 at the Elite Grips Challenge at Golden Valley Golf Club.

After an impressive opening 67, Go’s two birdies on each nine were offset by three front-nine bogeys and another miscue on the back, dropping him to joint 11th. His two-round total of 139 left him seven strokes behind leader Sakuda Daichi, who fired a second straight 66 for a 132 total, giving him a two-shot edge over Hokuto Yamazaki.

Over in Taiwan, Daniella Uy bounced back from a tough opening round of 78 with a 71, improving her position to a tie for 59th after 36 holes at the Da Da Digital Ladies Open at Dong Hwa Elite Golf Club in New Taipei City.

Although Uy’s 149 total is still far behind two-day leader Wenny Chang’s 134 (68-66), the Filipina golfer hopes to build on her recovery and aim for a stronger finish in the final round.