Strong frontside finish puts Go in the mix

MANILA, Philippines – Lloyd Go put up an impressive frontside performance, racking up four birdies worth 8 points as he tallied a 9-point total to grab a share of 19th in the first round of the For the Players By the Players 2024 at The Club Golf Villave in Gunma Prefecture in Japan Thursday.

The four-day tournament marks a unique format for the Japan Golf Tour, reintroducing point-based scoring reminiscent of the 1990-98 Acom International. Under the system, a par holds no points, a birdie earns two points, and an eagle rewards five points. Notably, an albatross commands a remarkable eight points, while a bogey incurs a deduction of one point, and a double bogey or worse results in a deduction of three points.

Despite encountering a bit of a struggle with a one-birdie, one-bogey card at the backnine, Go, who tied for second in the recent i Golf Shaper Challenge on the Abema Tour, soared at the turn, particularly in the last eight holes. He showcased remarkable precision, carding birdies on Nos. 2, 5, 7 and 9 to end up with nine points, equivalent to four-under 68 in traditional stroke play.

However, Go found himself trailing Naoyuki Kataoka and Yusaku Hosono by six points after the Japanese duo matched 65s in stroke play, each earning 15 points, just a point ahead of Hiroya Kubota, Kunihiro Uei, M. Hendry and Song Yong Han of Korea.

Justin delos Santos, meanwhile, had a chance to surpass or match Go’s output, but a last-hole bogey halted his charge, disrupting what could have been a promising start on the frontnine, sparked by three straight birdies from No. 1. He also birdied No. 8 to make up for his mishaps on Nos. 6 and 9.

Though he double bogeyed No. 13, he bounced back with three birdies in the next five holes but bogeyed the last, slipping to tied 27th instead with eight points.

Juvic Pagunsan, however, hit just one birdie for a measly two-point total as he fell to joint 83rd in danger of missing the cut in the Y50-million championship.