RIFU, Miyagi Pref. (Kyodo) Tour veteran Yuko Saito shot a bogey-free 3-under 69 to grab a share of the lead with four other players after the opening round of the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies on Friday.
Saito, winless since her only career victory at the 2004 Chukyo TV Bridgestone Ladies Open, birdied the seventh, eighth and 18th holes en route to sharing the lead with Mayumi Shimomura, Rie Murata, Taiwan’s Julie Lu and Australia’s Nikki Campbell at Rifu Golf Club.
Momoko Ueda, Sakura Yokomine, Mayu Hattori and Mie Nakata sat one shot behind the joint leaders. Money leader Akiko Fukushima and defending champion Yuko Mitsuka were another stroke back.