Takahiro Hataji and Ryuichi Oiwa will head into the final round of the ISPS HANDA Summer Golf Battle Tournament – “Who’s the Strongest” in pole position after sharing the third round honours with their three-day total of 18-under-par 198 on Saturday.
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They hold a slender one-shot advantage over Kota Kaneko (63) and Daijiro Izumida (65) at the Hokkaido Brooks Country Club.
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A two-time JGTO winner, Hataji credited a pre-round adjustment inspired by watching Brooks Koepka’s swing videos for sparking his surge into contention with a remarkable 10-under-par 62.
“Since this week, my feel with the putter has been good. Then this morning, I was watching Koepka’s swing and thought, ‘This is it!’ I realised I was taking the club back too open, so I tried to shut it a little more.
“That gave me confidence, and even though I made a few mistakes, I still managed a lot of birdies today,” said Hataji.
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Hataji was forced to withdraw after suffering from illness and lingering back issues last week. But feels he is now ready to challenge for his first victory of the 2025 season.
“I don’t have a big lead, but I feel like I’ve regained my golf, and I want to value that. If I reach the turn with a big lead, then I’ll attack aggressively,” said Hataji.
For Oiwa, his steady play and a composed mindset have been key for him.
“I’ve been holing the short putts, and on this course, most of the par-fives are reachable in two, so from the start I calculated I could get four birdies there,” said the 27-year-old.
Oiwa, who is searching for his JGTO breakthrough this week, also stressed his mental approach, managing emotions without the aid of a mental coach.
“I try to analyse myself. If I get frustrated or sad, it means I’m focusing too much on results. I’m not that great at golf yet, so I just do my best with what I have each day. Honestly, even being on top feels like a small thing. Today I was yawning before the round and even skipped practice before teeing off,” he quipped.
