Taisei Shimizu fired a seven-under-par 63 to give himself a four-shot cushion over the chasing pack after the penultimate round of the Japan Open on Saturday.
Overnight leader Kota Kaneko slipped a spot down to solo second after returning with a 69 at the Nikko Country Club, with Shugo Imahira, Yuto Katsuragawa and Kim Seong-hyeon a further two shots back in tied-third place.
Related: Satoshi Hara, Kota Kaneko share Day 2 honours
Shimizu, who is chasing his second JGTO title this week, stormed out of the blocks with an amazing outward 30, which was highlighted by six birdies and one bogey – his only blemish of the round.
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He birdied four of his first six holes before dropping a shot on the seventh hole. The 26-year-old recovered quickly with a pair of birdies on holes eight and nine. He then picked up further gains on the 13th and 15thholes, before making three straight pars to compile a three-day total of eight-under-par 202.
“I felt really good when I birdied the first hole. That gave me the confidence, and I started to have a good feeling with my putt all day.
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“My tee shot was really consistent too. I was able to hit my second shot from a good position, create some opportunities, and was able to convert them<” said Shimizu.
With a spot at the Masters Tournament and The Open awaiting the winner of the Japan Open, Shimizu knows he is in a good position for the final round. However, he is not ready to think too far ahead now.
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“I’m going to try not to overthink things and just focus on playing my own game again tomorrow, and do my best,” said Shimizu.
Major champion Adam Scott, meanwhile, signed for 69 to trail Shimizu by seven shots in tied-sixth place.
