OMITAMA, Japan -- Miyu Yamashita, who won the LPGA's Maybank Championship in Malaysia over the weekend, was among three players atop the leaderboard after Thursday's first round of the Toto Japan Classic.
Yamashita and fellow Japanese players Aki Iwai and Sayaka Takahashi shot 6-under 66s for a one-stroke lead over a group of three players.
Iwai is coming off a victory in late September in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Minami Hiruta, Pajaree Anannarukarn and Fuka Suga each shot 67 on Thursday.
Nine players, including defending champion Nasa Hataoka, were two off the lead after 68s on the 6,598-yard layout.
The Toto Japan Classic is the last of four tournaments in the LPGA's late-season Asian swing.