Overnight leader Tomohiro Ishizaka continued to secure his place atop the leaderboard despite suffering from neck pain after carding a third round four-under-par 67 at the Japan Players Championship by Satosyokuhin on Saturday.
Related: Ishizaka leads by two at Japan Players Championship
The 25-year-old started the penultimate round with a two-shot lead but saw his advantage trimmed to one after he marked his card with seven birdies and three bogeys for a three-day total of 18-under-par 195 at Nishinasuno Country Club.
Taiki Yoshida staged his comeback by firing the day’s lowest round of 62 to move up to second place with Tatsunori Shogenji, while Naoyuki Kataoka will head into the final round in solo fourth place after returning with a 66.
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Zimbabwean Scott Vincent (63) and Justin De Los Santos (66) of the Philippines broke the Japanese dominance after they broke into the top five to trail Ishizaka by four shots in tied-fifth place with Ryosuke Kinoshita.
Ishizaka credited his mental fortitude for ensuring he remains in contention for his first JGTO win after experiencing discomfort before teeing off.
“My pain started during warm-ups. My trainer adjusted my posture, and each time I tried to make a wedge shot, that triggered some discomfort. My neck vertebrae are misaligned, and that causes me to slouch and affects my swing. The dizziness was worse than the pain itself.”
He parred his first hole before birdieing the second. However, he dropped two shots in his next four holes and battled hard to maintain his focus as the round went on.
“I couldn’t find my rhythm. I guess every golfer faces days like this. But the key is maintaining focus despite these physical issues. My mental game needed to work overtime when my body couldn’t cooperate,” said Ishikawa.
When asked about his strategy for his final 18 holes, Ishizaka said: “There are many people who believe in me. And playing in the leader group will bring about good pressure for me. I’ll focus on my recovery tonight as this tournament deserves my best.”
