South Korea’s Song Young-han carded a modest third-round two-under-par 70, moving into a shared lead with Taiga Nagano at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship on Saturday.
The overnight leader, Song, finished with a 16-under-par 200 for the tournament after registering five birdies and three bogeys at the Onotoyo Golf Club in Hyogo.
Related: Leader Song Young-han sets sight on weekend charge
Nagano, who is 12 years Song’s junior, joined him at the top after carding a 68, bolstered by seven birdies and offset by three bogeys.
Ryutaro Nagano, Tomoharu Otsuki, and Takashi Ogiso make up a trio of players just one shot behind in a tied-third position.
As many as seven players, including Philippine star Juvic Pagunsan, are within five shots of the lead. This sets the stage for a challenging final round for Song, as he looks to secure his second win of the season.
View this post on Instagram
“I wanted to extend my lead a bit more, but it was disappointing that the putts didn’t go in. However, I believe I’m still in a good position,” said Song, who won the KBC Sansan Augusta, ending a seven-year drought just four weeks ago.
“For now, I have a chance to lead into the final day. I’ve won twice so far, but neither was a decisive victory (his previous two wins, including the SMBC Singapore, were by a one-shot margin). This time, I aim to win by a more significant margin and will give it my all.”
Nagano was pleased with his consistent performance, placing him in genuine contention for a JGTO breakthrough.
To date, his best achievement was finishing as runner-up at the Japan Players Championship by Satosyokuhin, a tournament he led during the second and third rounds.
When asked about his desire for the title, he emphatically declared, “100%.”
“If I can score a five-under, I believe I might at least reach the playoff. If the wind remains as strong as today and I can still shoot five-under, that would be ideal,” he added.
Pagunsan, back from a three-week break, showcased one of his standout recent performances by recording a bogey-free 65, the day’s lowest score.
Trailing by just four shots, Pagunsan has his eyes set on making a significant move on the final day, potentially contending for a second title of the season following his victory at the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament.
“I struck the ball well today and also had a good touch on the greens,” remarked Pagunsan, who missed four consecutive cuts before his brief hiatus.
“In golf, a touch of luck sometimes goes a long way. Scoring seven-under is commendable. Hopefully, I’ll maintain this form tomorrow.”
Leading third round scores
200: Taiga Nagano 65-67-68, Song Young-han 63-67-70;
202: Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66, Tomoharu Otsuki 69-66-67, Ryutaro Nagano 63-69-70;
203: Kazuya Koura 69-68-66, Tatsunori Shogenji 69-67-67;
204: Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 69-70-65, Naoyuki Kataoka 70-66-68, Ren Yonezawa 66-66-72;
205: Eric Sugimoto 72-66-67, Todd Baek (US) 65-70-70.
