Shaun Norris started his campaign in the Japan Open Golf Championship on Thursday with a four-under-par 67 at Biwako Country Club to finish the first round in a share of 12th.
Norris, who has won five times on the Japan Golf Tour, made five birdies and a bogey, and he is four shots behind the eight-under 63 carded by Hiroshi Iwata. Iwata leads by one from Tomohiro Ishizaka, with Yuta Ikeda in third on six-under-par 65.
Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe was a further shot back on three-under-par 68 after his opening round.
The Japan Open is one of the three richest tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour, with a prize fund of over R27-million in 2021; it is also the tour’s designated ‘flagship event’ for the purposes of the Official World Golf Ranking, with a minimum winner’s points allocation of 32 points. The winner also receives an invitation to the following year’s Open Championship. Founded in 1927, it is one of the oldest tournaments in Japan.
