Kurt Barnes has got his 2016 Japan Tour season off to a flying start, finishing just outside the top-10 in the Token Homemate Cup at the weekend.

On a difficult golf course Barnes was one of only 28 players to break par for the four rounds, his 4-under total good enough for a T11 finish.

It was Barnes’ first start for 2016 after he skipped the two co-sanctioned events in Singapore and Myanmar which started the Japanese Tour season.

Now beginning his seventh full year on the Japan Tour, Barnes is coming off an indifferent 2015 where he notched just one top 10 finish in 20 starts.

However, it was a solid start to this season for the New South Welshman whose rounds of 68-72-69-71 featured just 10 bogies over the 72 holes.

Barnes was the only Australasian to finish under par, Brad Kennedy next best at 2-over for the week (T39).

Brendan Jones was one shot further back (T45) with Scott Strange (T49), defending champion Michael Hendry (T52) and second year Japan Tour player Matt Griffin (T56) the only others to make the cut.

Adam Bland, Won Joon Lee and Aaron Townsend all missed the weekend’s action.