Takumi Kanaya continued to lead the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters after signing for a one-under-par 69 in the penultimate round at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course on Saturday.
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Kanaya’s three-day total of nine-under-par 201 ensured he will start the final round with a one-shot advantage over Ryo Ishikawa and Taihei Sato, who carded rounds of 65 and 66 respectively to share second place.
The 26-year-old, who has already won twice this season, traded two bogeys and two birdies in his front nine to reach the turn in even-par 35. Kanaya picked up another shot on 10 but that would be his last birdie of the round as he parred the rest of the holes coming home.
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“It was a tough day with challenging conditions, so I think I played as well as I could. It’s easy to lose focus after making bogeys but I’m glad I managed to regain my composure and stayed patient throughout the round,” said Kanaya.
Ishikawa made up for a disappointing second round – where he posted a 71 – with a much-improved 65 after correcting his putting. The 33-year-old marked his card with six birdies and had only one blemish where he bogeyed the par-three seven.
“I made some adjustments to my putting after yesterday’s round. There were no major mistakes with my putting. But I just had to make some fine-tuning. Yesterday, with 36 holes left, I knew the leaderboard would shift, and I had lots of work to do to haul myself back into contention.
“The course and the conditions are tough, and it’s crucial to stay near the top for the entire four days,” said Ishikawa.
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Sato, meanwhile, is relishing the final day battle as he seeks his maiden JGTO win since turning professional in 2015.
“For the past three days, I’ve been able to avoid many difficult situations while maintaining a good rhythm, especially with my putting. It’s going to be an exciting 18 holes and I hoping for a strong finish,” said the 31-year-old.
