NARITA, SHI -- Ken Tanigawa turned in a bogey-free 65 on Friday in Round 1 of the Mastercard Japan Championship and has a two-shot lead over Doug Garwood and Dudley Hart. Colin Montgomerie, Darren Clarke, Fran Quinn, Steve Flesch and Paul Goydos are three off the lead at Narita Golf Club.

Tanigawa, who had his mom, wife and two kids in the gallery, is just two weeks removed from winning the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill. He made three birdies on the front nine and four on the back including a 25-foot putt on 18 to cap his day.

Tanigawa currently ranks second on the Schwab Cup standings behind Scott McCarron. He is a second-year player on PGA TOUR Champions and is looking for his third career win.

"I did everything kind of okay; I missed it in the right spots, I made some putts," explained Tanigawa, who conducted post-round interviews in both English and Japanese. "I didn't make any bogeys, which is always a nice thing when you're playing a round of golf. So overall it's just a very solid round of golf."

Tanigawa was born in Japan and spent the first five years of life living in Kobe. His mom, Kiyoka, lives outside of Osaka.

"It's been a long time since she's probably seen me play, so it was pretty cool to have her here really. Just to be able to see my mom really regardless of the golf, it's pretty special."

McCarron carded a 3-under 69 and is in a tie for ninth. He is in search of win number eleven on PGA TOUR Champions.

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Media notes compiled by Maureen Radzavicz

Ken Tanigawa, 33-32– 65 (-7)

• Tanigawa’s 7-under 65 matches his lowest opening round on PGA TOUR Champions (2019 Chubb Classic, 2019 Oasis Championship).
• His 65 also matches the 18-hole record set by three players in 2017: Glen Day (Rd. 1), Kevin Sutherland (Rd. 1) and Todd Hamilton.
• Tanigawa was born near Kobe, Japan and his family moved to the United States when he was five years old. His 79-year-old mother, Kiyoka, currently lives outside of Osaka.
• Last month, Tanigawa overcame a three-shot deficit on the back nine to pass defending champion Paul Broadhurst and win the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship by one stroke. It was his first major championship win and second PGA TOUR Champions title.
• The $585,000 payday at the Senior PGA and the strength of three top-10s, vaulted Tanigawa to his current No. 2 ranking in the Charles Schwab Cup standings $889,253.
• Tanigawa had 33 starts on the Japan Golf Tour between 1996-1997 with his best finish being T9 at the Asia Pacific Diamond Cup Golf.

• He played in three PGA TOUR events (2000-2002) and made 40 career starts on the Web.com Tour from 1991 through 2003 before giving up the professional game for a 15-year period.
• In 2017, Tanigawa graduated from Q-School with fully-exempt status for the 2018 season. He went on to win the 2018 Rookie of the Year award after claiming his first victory on PGA TOUR Champions at the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach with an eagle on the 54th and final hole. He now owns two victories on PGA TOUR Champions and six finishes in the top 10.

First-Round Lead Notes

• Through 34 events, this marks the first time Tanigawa has led/co-led after the first round in a solo event. Earlier this season, he and partner Gene Sauers were T1 through 18 holes at the all-team Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf and went on to finish T12.
• At the 2017 event, Kevin Sutherland and Glen Day shared the 18-hole lead after posting 7-under 65s. Eventual champion Colin Montogomerie was T14 after opening with a 3-under 69.
• This season, a first-round leader/co-leader has won four out of 12 tournaments, with Current Schwab Cup leader Scott McCarron leading the pack with two (Mitsubishi Electric Classic, Insperity Invitational).

Doug Garwood, 35-32 – 67 (-5)

• Garwood sunk a 50-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 No. 17 to finish with an opening round 5-under par 67.
• So far this season, he has two top-10 finishes and is currently ranked No. 46 in Charles Schwab Cup rankings.
• He finished T22 at the 2017 Mastercard Japan Championship.
• Garwood owns one victory on PGA TOUR Champions (2016 SAS Championship) and three runner-up finishes and 25 finishes in the top 10.

Dudley Hart, 34-33 – 67 (-5)

• Starting on No. 10, Hart bogeyed the par-4 No. 13, but came back with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 15-17 and went on to finish with a 5-under par 67 on Friday.
• Making his first professional start in Japan, Hart’s 17-year old son, Ryan, a triplet with two sisters, is caddying for him this week. Following in his father’s footsteps, the rising senior has already received an offer to play golf at the University of Florida in 2020.
• Hart is a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR.
• In 2008, he was named PGA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year, after taking six months off in 2007 to care for his family while his wife, Suzanne, had a softball-sided tumor removed from her lungs. When her returned in 2008 via a major medical exemption, he recorded the best season of his career, earning more than $2 million.

Other Notes

• Defending champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie carded four birdies and finished in a five-way tie for fourth with a 4-under par 68. Through four rounds at Narita Golf Club-Accordia Golf, Montgomerie’s scoring average is 67.665.
• Joining in Montgomerie in a tie for fourth at 4-under are Darren Clarke, a three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, Fran Quinn,Steve Flesch and Paul Goydos.
• World Golf Hall of Fame member and 25-year Mastercard ambassador Tom Watson finished with a six-over 78.
• Scott McCarron, current Charles Schwab Cup leader, carded four birdies and one bogey in his first-round 69 (T9).
• The field includes eight sponsor exemptions (home country):

Keiichiro Fukabori (Japan): T39 (+2)

Shigetoshi Hasegawa (Japan): 67 (+9)

Toshimitsu Izawa (Japan): T9 (-3)

Massy Kuramoto (Japan): T22 (E)

Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand): T52 (+3)

Tsuyoshi Yoneyama (Japan): T18 (-1)

Toru Suzuki (Japan): T39 (+2)

Masayoshi Yamazoe (Japan): T57 (+4)