Yusaku Hosono stayed in the hunt for his career breakthrough on the JGTO when he signed for a five-under-par 66 to take over the lead after the second round of the Vantelin Tokai Classic on Friday.
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The 21-year-old found himself in yet another commanding position with his two-day total of 10-under-par 132. It is the second time he has led a tournament this season, since the opening round at For The Players by The Players in May.
Overnight leader Takahiro Hataji slipped one spot after returning with a 69 at the Myoshi Country Club to share second place with Aguri Iwasaki on 133.
Kensei Hirata, who is chasing his fourth win this season, remains firmly in contention – trailing Hosono by two shots in a share of fourth place with Shugo Imahira and Takanori Konishi on 134.
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Starting on the back-nine 10, Hosono stumbled early with bogey on 11. However, he recovered quickly with an eagle-three on 12 before birdieing 15 and 18 for an outward 33.
Even though he was struggling with his tee shots, Hosono had his putting to thank as he managed to birdie the second and fourth holes to head into the weekend atop the leaderboard.
“I wanted to fix my tee shots from yesterday, but I didn’t manage to fix them much. I ended up in the rough quite a bit, but my second shots and putting helped me out again today.”
“I’m in a good position heading into the weekend. I haven’t been able to capitalise on the final rounds, but I want to focus on finishing strong this week. If I’m playing well, I know I can put together a good score. My goal is to get to that point. I know I’ll feel the pressure, but I also want to enjoy it,” said Hosono.
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Hataji, meanwhile, mixed his card with four birdies and two bogeys and hopes he can be sharper with his game as he approaches the final 36 holes.
“Overall, my shots, approach play, and putting are all improving, but if I want to contend for the win, I need to fine-tune things a bit more. I’ll need to make sure I’m hitting my shots with pinpoint accuracy. Hopefully, I’ll carry that momentum into Sunday,” said Hataji.
