Of the 32 local players entered for International Series Japan presented by Moutai, an impressive 17 made it to day three at Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba, just outside of Tokyo.
With a star-studded field featuring LIV Golf talent and the cream of the Asian Tour, the home front was spearheaded by Yuta Sugiura who added to two four-under rounds with a five-under 66 for a share of the lead with LIV Golf League star Lucas Herbert, and Korean Younghan Song.
Yuta has been more than impressed with the experience of playing on the LIV Golf-backed event, the third in a set of 10 elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour schedule.
International Series Japan presented by Moutai offers a pathway onto the LIV Golf League through the season-long Rankings race.
Of more immediate concern, it also offers a place in the field for International Series Morocco next time out to the highest non-exempt finisher in the field.
Yuta admits he would relish the chance of teeing it up again in July on the iconic Red Course at the Royal Golf Dar Es Salaam in Rabat.
“Yes I want to play,” he said. “The atmosphere, with the music playing, makes the players and fans enjoy it more and have more fun – I think it is a good atmosphere.”
Assessing the potential impact of the tournament, a debut for The International Series in the country, he felt it was an important benchmark for the local contingent – one that could bring about positive changes to the domestic scene.
He said: “Having international players here allows us to see a different style of play compared to Japanese players, and in that sense, I think positively changes the way we think about the game.”
Yuta wasn’t the only Japanese star impressed with the event – or the only one to card a five-under round either. Takashi Ogiso returned an impressive 66 of his own earlier in the day to move from T45 at one under to T18 at six under. Ogiso, a winner of the Hana Bank Invitational 2024 on the JGTO, felt the experience would ‘raise the bar’ for golf in Japan.
The 28-year-old said: “We get to see players from around the world including LIV Golf players and I truly feel this is a valuable experience. It also made me realize once again how much more difficult it would be if this were taking place overseas.
“Of course it depends on the schedule, but I want to get more of this kind of experience and I also want to play overseas. I think it would raise the bar for professional golf in Japan. It is not easy to watch the play of international players, and it is important to observe the various aspects of different players and their games.”
Naoyuki Kataoka sits back in T35 on three under after a mixed day of five birdies and three bogeys at Caledonian Golf Club. Despite being 10 shots back and unlikely to challenge on the final day, Kataoka highlighted the ‘valuable experience’ of competing with Asian Tour regulars who understand that a place on the LIV Golf League is at stake in the long run.
He said: “We usually need to be qualified to play on the Asian Tour, so being given the opportunity to compete this week has been a valuable experience and a great honour.”
Kataoka admitted he would be delighted to play another tournament in the future and felt the event would have a lasting impact on golf in Japan.
There is a final chance to see the Japanese players in action against some of the best from around the world with the final round taking place on Sunday at Caledonian Golf Club in the prefecture of Chiba.
Tickets for round four are available at: https://webket.jp/pc/ticket/index?fc=80130&ac=9000
The International Series is the most prized pathway in golf. It consists of 10 elite tournaments sanctioned by the Asian Tour and offers the year-long Rankings leader promotion to the LIV Golf League
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