Juvic Pagunsan carded a 5-under 66 on Thursday, 3 shots behind Austria’s Sepp Straka for an impressive start to the Filipino golfer’s campaign at the Olympics in Tokyo.

Pagunsan, a 10-year veteran at the Japan Golf Tour, was playing Kasumigaseki Country Club for the first time.

But he was comfortable at the par-71 course that was softened by an overnight thunderstorm.

He was at under-3 total at the 11th hole, before proceeding with birdies on the 13th and the 16th for a flawless back 9.

A bogey on par-3 No. 4 was the only blemish on his card.

Locked in fifth spot were Pagunsan, Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas, and Denmark's Joachim B. Hansen.

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Pagunsan is the second Filipino man to qualify for the Olympics, and he hopes to top Miguel Tabuena’s showing at Rio 2016 where Tabuena finished a 7-over 291.

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Meanwhile, Straka upstaged a slew of golf's biggest names to take a 1-shot lead in a sweltering opening round as home hero Hideki Matsuyama battled to stay in touch after a recent brush with COVID-19.

Teeing off in the first group with his twin brother Sam carrying his bag, 28-year-old Straka shot an Olympic record-equalling eight-under 63 at Kasumigaseki to be one stroke clear of Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters and Mexican Carlos Ortiz were a stroke further back on six-under as headline acts Justin Thomas (71) and Rory McIlroy (69) labored on an oppressive day marred by a long suspension due to the threat of lightning.

Straka was cooling off in the clubhouse before the two-hour 20-minute break was called, and savoring a return to form after a dire period on the U.S. PGA Tour.

Masters champion Matsuyama, carrying Japan's medal hopes on his shoulders after recently recovering from COVID-19, shot a 69 to be six off the pace but said he felt the lingering effects of his illness as he ran out of gas on the back nine.

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Matsuyama had four birdies in his first eight holes before bogeys on nine and 11 stalled him.

In such a golf-mad nation, Matsuyama deserved a crowd but the lack of spectators due to COVID-19 made for a surreal atmosphere.

Volunteers held up "quiet" signs to patches of vacant grass and British Open champion Collin Morikawa (69) called "fore" somewhat needlessly as he sprayed a shot into trees on the first.

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American Morikawa was hardly alone in having to hack his way out of the thick Zoysia grass thriving off the fairways.

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Others had little pay on the greens, including Thomas. The American was a picture of torment after none of his birdie putts fell in an astonishing round of 18 pars. — With a report by Toshiki Hashimoto, Reuters

For breaking news and latest developments on the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, visit https://news.abs-cbn.com/tokyo-olympics

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