Mikiya Akutsu will take a one-shot lead into the final round of The Mizuno Open after carding a four-under-par 68 in the penultimate round of the tournament, which is also part of The Open Qualifying Series.
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The 30-year-old Japanese has yet to win on the JGTO but his three-day total of 12-under-par 204 on a blustery Thursday has brought him a step closer to achieving his breakthrough.
Zimbabwean Scott Vincent, who won the tournament in 2022, stayed in the hunt to reclaim the title after matching Akutsu’s efforts with a similar 68, but had to settle for solo second place with his 205 total.
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Takashi Ogiso (66) and Riki Kawamoto (69) are tied for third after they signed for matching 206 total.
Starting the day three shots off the lead, Akutsu reached the turn in 33 after a flawless front-nine where he birdied holes five, six and eight.
He traded two bogeys against one birdie in his next five holes after the turn, but powered home strongly with a pair of birdies on 15 and 16 before closing with pars on 17 and 18.
“It was windy even on the practice range, and I felt like I could actually compete better if the wind picked up. Last year, I was in a similar position but couldn’t capitalise on the third day, so I told myself this morning I needed to step it up.
“My ball doesn’t fly too high and has low spin, so it’s less affected by the wind. Getting three birdies on the front nine and being able to build on my score was great,” said Akutsu.
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Vincent, meanwhile, started strongly by reeling off three straight birdies starting from the par-four first hole. He added two more birdies on six and 11, dropped his only shot of the day on 12 before carding six straight pars.
“It was amazing, but also a very challenging day. It definitely felt challenging playing under such windy conditions, as I haven’t experienced something like this for a while. I’m not thinking too much about winning. I just want to have a good rest, enjoy a nice yakiniku meal tonight and then go out there to play my own game tomorrow,” said Vincent.
