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Japan Leads After First Round of USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship
Americans trail Japanese, 7-5

SANO, Japan ? The United States trails Japan, 7-5, after the first round of the USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship at Verde Sano Country Club. The Japanese team claimed three matches of six stroke-play doubles matches and halved another to lead after the first day of competition.

Team USA claimed an early lead when J.J Jakovac and Tom Johnson defeated Takashi Kawane and Haruo Fujishima, 140-144. Jakovac was four-under for the round. Japan would respond by claiming the next two matches. Japanese amateur champion Shintaro Kai and Takamasa Yamamoto downed Andrew Dahl and Ryan Quinn, 134-144, and Satoshi Sakamoto and Yuuki Satoh edged Matt Hendrix and Jay Mundy, 145-146. The two squads halved the fourth match when Jack Ferguson and Steve Conway and Toyokazu Fujishima and Kunihiro Kamii each fired an even-par 144. Japan pushed their lead to 7-3 when Hitomi Matsumura and Tomoko Kanai defeated Liz Janangelo and Jessica Reese, 144-148. The Americans closed the gap to 7-5 when Leigh Anne Hardin and Charlotte Mayorkas beat Noriko Yasuda and Mao Kouyama, 145-156, in the final match of the first round.

Thursday?s second round will consist of 12 singles matches. The first tee time is slated for 8 a.m.

The U.S. team leads the series, 20-7, and has won seven straight tournaments.

First Round Results
Japan 7, United States 5
Jakovac and Johnson, USA defeat Kawane and Fujishima, Japan, 140-143
Kai and Yamamoto, Japan defeat Dahl and Quinn, USA, 134-144
Sakamoto and Satoh, Japan defeat Hendrix and Mundy, USA, 145-146
Ferguson and Conway, USA halve Fujishima and Kamii, 144-144
Matsumura and Kanai, Japan defeat Janangelo and Reese, USA, 148
Hardin and Mayorkas, USA defeat Yasuda and Kouyama, Japan, 145-156