Victorian golfer Kono Matsumoto fired a stunning seven-under-par 66 to set a new course record and lead the 2026 Ford Women’s NSW Open Moss Vale Regional Qualifying event by two shots after round one.
Matsumoto, who admitted her form had been patchy in recent weeks, produced a composed and clinical performance at Moss Vale Golf Club, making an eagle and a string of birdies through her round. A closing bogey did little to dampen what was a commanding display, leaving her well clear of a four-way tie for second place heading into the final round on Friday.
“The first few holes I had a pretty solid start, and then it just all turned around from there,” Matsumoto said.
“I holed some putts, made an eagle in the last few holes and then two birdies coming home. I bogeyed the last, but it was always gonna happen, so yeah, I’m pretty happy with my round.”
Matsumoto had only laid eyes on the course for the first time the day before, and said she was far from expecting a round of that quality.
“No, not really,” she said when asked if she had anticipated playing so well.
“We played completely different tees today, so it played a little bit longer, which actually might have helped me in some sense, less trouble to hit into.”
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The conditions made the round all the more remarkable. Players battled sunshine, rain and wind throughout the day before an extraordinary fog rolled in across the course at around 1:00 pm, forcing play to be suspended momentarily, a sight Matsumoto said she had never encountered before.
“The fog was something I’ve never seen before, coming at 1:00 pm. That was a bit weird, but I tried to stay patient after the fog delay, and I think I did a pretty good job,” she said.
Chasing Matsumoto on five-under are four players locked together in second: NSW’s Jessica Bang, American Annika Borrelli, Japan’s Ayane Morita and Malaysia’s Winnie Ng.
Matsumoto was paired with Borrelli during the round and said the pairing made for an enjoyable day on the course, even if she was unaware of how well her playing partner was scoring.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know she was having a good round, too. We all were just having so much fun, and I think that really helped,” Matsumoto said.
“I met her today for the first time, but she was so lovely, so hopefully I get to play with her again tomorrow.”
The highlight of the day came on the 2nd hole, where Korea’s Chaeree Lim recorded a hole-in-one. The only disappointment for Lim was the choice of hole — the 16th carries a hole-in-one prize of a new car courtesy of Ford Finance tomorrow, and she joked she wished she had saved the magic shot for one day later.
With a two-shot cushion heading into Friday, Matsumoto said her approach would be much the same as it was on Thursday.
“Pretty similar to today. Just stay patient, one shot at a time. That’s my game,” she said.
Matsumoto, who has yet to qualify for the main draw of the Women’s NSW Open, said securing one of the available spots this week is her primary goal and one that would carry significant meaning given her recent struggles.
“I obviously haven’t been playing as well as I wanted, so that would mean a lot to score a ticket into that,” she said.
“I’ve been telling everyone back home that I just need to put a round together without a bad hole, and I feel like I did that today.”
Round two will begin at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning with the action to be broadcast Live on Kayo from 11 AM.
Live: Moss Vale Golf Club
Friday, 13th February
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
