Pagunsan storms ahead with blistering 63

Filipino Juvic Pagunsan fired an impressive seven-under-par 63 to take control at the halfway point of the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament on Friday.

Following his superb opening round of 64 on the Toride Kokusai Golf Club's East Course, Pagunsan continued his strong performance on the West Course. He recorded eight birdies and only one bogey.

After making birdies on the 13th and 15th holes to turn in 32, Pagunsan maintained his momentum by gaining two more strokes on the first and third holes. Although he had a brief setback with a bogey on the fourth hole, he quickly recovered and sank four consecutive birdies from the fifth, finishing with a 13-under-par 132 in the ¥60,000,000 tournament, which is the fifth stop of the JGTO season.

Taiga Semikawa, who won the Kansai Open earlier this season, stayed in the hunt by shooting a 65 to tie for second place at 12-under with Tsubasa Ukita (66), one of the three first-round leaders.

This marks the first time since the 2021 Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open that Pagunsan has led a round. He went on to win that tournament, which was shortened to 54 holes, securing his only victory on the JGTO.

Pagunsan expressed his satisfaction with his performance and current position, saying, "I had a slow start due to some wind, but the rain during my outward nine gradually weakened the wind, making it easier.

"My driving and iron shots were much better than yesterday, resulting in plenty of birdies. I even chipped in twice in a row on holes seven and eight. I will remain focused on my game for the next two days and see what happens."

Pagunsan also praised the JGTO for hosting a tournament that combines professional and amateur players, resembling the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which began in 1937.

Reflecting on his first 36 holes in the tournament, Pagunsan said, "This is my first time experiencing a tournament like this. I've played in various pro-ams throughout Asia, but they were just one-off events on Wednesdays, nothing like this. Playing with amateurs is enjoyable, as it allows me to meet different people and have fun."

Leading second round scores:

127: Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 64-63;

128: Taiga Semikawa 63-65, Tsubasa Ukita 62-66;

129: Yuki Inamori 64-65;

131: Shiso Go 68-63; Yusaku Hosono 63-68, Taiko Nishiyama 62-69, Kunihiro Kamii 66-65;

132: Yujiro Ohori 66-66, Ren Yonezawa 67-65, Tomoyasu Sugiyama 68-64, Taihei Sato 68-64, Taichi Nabetani 66-66, Tomofumi Ouchi 70-62, Ryo Katsumata 65-67, Kazuki Yamaura 65-67.

Ends.