Takumi Kanaya headed atop the leaderboard after a sparkling seven-under-par 65 in the second round of the ANA Open gave him a one-shot cushion over Tomoharu Otsuki at Sapporo Golf Club Wattsu Course on Friday.
Related: Shimizu takes flight with flawless 65
Philippines’ Justin De Los Santos fired an impressive 66 to head into the weekend rounds in contention, three shots back of Kanaya in a tie for third with Ryo Ishikawa.
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Kanaya, who opened with a 68 on Thursday to start the day three strokes off the pace, built momentum with two birdies against seven pars for an outward 34.
The reigning JGTO money list champion then ignited his charge on the back nine, firing birdies on holes 10, 12, 14, 16, and 17 to take control of the tournament, with his two-day total of 11-under-par 133 placing him firmly in the hunt for his eighth JGTO title.
“In the front nine, I wasn’t playing very well, but gradually my tee shots became more stable and I was able to create more chances, so I think that was good,” said Kanaya.
“I started swinging my driver more freely. Yesterday, at the start, I wasn’t hitting it far at all and my body wasn’t moving well, but it gradually got better.
“My body has been adjusting little by little, and I’ll probably face similar conditions again, so I want to make sure I can keep playing well under those circumstances. I’ve prepared properly, and I know I need to value every match and play with that mindset.”
De Los Santos, meanwhile, kept his card clean with a bogey-free round and is relishing his opportunity to break through on the JGTO.
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“It’s nice to know I didn’t make any bogeys today,” said the Filipino. “The conditions were different. It wasn’t as windy, and we were able to clean our ball from the fairway, which helped. I’m just focusing on each shot because if you lose focus out here, you’ll be punished.”
