Korea’s Choi Jin-ho will take a slender one-shot advantage into the final round after carding a five-under-par 67 in the penultimate round of the Hana Bank Invitational on Saturday.
Related: Justin De Los Santos hits top gear to lead
The 41-year-old Korean mixed his card with two eagles, three birdies and two bogeys at Heaven Country Club for a three-day total of 16-under-par 200. Overnight leader Justin De Los Santos of the Philippines lurks closely behind after returning with a 69 while Hiroshi Iwata (70) and Lee Hyung-joon (68) are tied for third on matching 203 totals.
Despite securing pole position with 18 holes to play, Choi remains cautious and believes the contest is far from over.
View this post on Instagram
“This course isn’t the kind where you can just protect your score and win. Even though I’m in the lead, I think I need to keep creating birdie chances rather than trying to hold on.
“These days, younger players are so skilled that the chances of winning in a season have decreased compared to before. Since I’ve got this opportunity now, I’ll try to focus even more and stay mentally strong—even if it gets tough—so I can play a good round,” said the Korean veteran.
Meanwhile, De Los Santos, who dropped his only shot of the week so far on the par-four third, believes it will be a mental test between the golf course and himself when he returns to the tee for his final charge for his maiden win on the JGTO.
“I kept missing the fairways, so it was hard to give myself birdie chances. It was actually my first bogey of the week on the third hole today. So, to be honest, I was a little disappointed, but I didn’t worry about it too much. I thought I would be okay. I want to give it my best. I think of it as a battle with myself and with the course tomorrow,” said the Filipino.
