Chiba prefecture, Japan, May 10: Japan’s Jinichiro Kozuma took advantage of the benign morning conditions by firing a four-under-par 67 to move up the leaderboard after the second round of the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on Friday.

The 34-year-old, who is seeking his first professional win, struggled under gusty conditions on the opening day to post a 74.

However, he hauled himself back into contention by marking his card with four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys before signing for a one-under-par 141 at the Sobu Country Club.

“I’m very pleased with my comeback. I shot a 74 yesterday and it was a good fightback. I told myself not to give up and try again when I stepped back to the tee this morning.

“While it may not be as windy as yesterday, the conditions are still very challenging. You got to be very accurate with your driving and putting. I did well in those areas and I look forward to the weekend,” said the Japanese.

Korea’s K.T. Kim also bettered his opening 73 with an improved 70 to stay in contention for his hat-trick of victories at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup, having won the event in 2010 and 2015.

Kim mixed his outward-nine with one birdie against eight par for a 35. He dropped a shot on four before recovering with a pair of birdies on holes five and six.

The Korean dropped another shot on his closing par-four nine to sign for a 70.

“It’s good to be able to shoot a better score than yesterday. I was two-over yesterday but managed to do better today. It was very windy yesterday but today, the conditions were better. However, you still need to be accurate off the tee as the fairways are very narrow here.

“The greens are very fast and you have to be sharp with your putting. Of course, I would like to win this tournament again. There are many good players here so let’s see what happens over the weekend,” said Kim.

The Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup is the Asian Tour’s first stop in Japan this season and second of four co-sanctioned events with the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) this year.

Ends.