Tom McKibbin has made a solid start at the ISPS Handa Championship in Japan.
German Yannik Paul was among a five-way tie for the lead when play was suspended due to darkness after a fog-interrupted first day of the ISPS Handa Championship.
With a number of golfers to compete their opening rounds on Friday at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course, McKibbin sits on one-under par, four shots behind clubhouse leaders Taiki Yoshida, Taisei Shimizu, Tomoyo Ikermura, all of Japan, and Paul.
Heavy fog delayed the DP World Tour and Japan Golf Tour co-sanctioned tournament start by nearly three hours, and perhaps that disrupted McKibbin as he started with a bogey on the 10th before a run of 10 straight pars.
His first birdie of the day arrived at the par-five third and while he coughed up a shot at the next, birdies at the fifth and eighth holes ensured that he started under par.
Paul (30) came close to a Ryder Cup debut last season as he recorded seven top 10s to add to his win in 2022 but narrowly missed out, finishing fourth on the European points list.
He secured his third top 10 finish of 2024 last time out at the Hero Indian Open and brought that form to Japan, carding his lowest round since January with a 65 that left him at five under in the clubhouse alongside local favourites Ikemura, Shimizu and Yoshida.
Japan's Taiga Nagano was also at five under with seven holes remaining, with some players left with as many as 10 holes to play in round one after a near three-hour fog delay.
Scot Connor Syme was a shot off the lead after finishing his round on his first start since securing a third consecutive top 10 at the Jonsson Workwear Open on 10 March .
"Delighted," he said after starting on the 10th and making four birdies in a row from the 18th in a bogey-free 66. "I’ve not played in six weeks, tournament-wise anyway, so it was nice to come back.
"I don’t think I had a bogey today which was really pleasing so it’s a nice way to start back."
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