Tomoyo Ikemura moved to within 18 holes of winning his maiden title on the Asian Tour with a last-hole birdie in a round of three-under-par 67 to capture sole possession of the lead after the third round of the US$500,000 Smart Infinity Philippine Open.
Related: Steady Sadom shows no signs of relenting in Philippine Open
In the season-opening event of the 2025 Asian Tour schedule, being played at the Masters Course of Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, the 29-year-old Japanese golfer from Kagoshima, who is eight-under, finished one ahead of Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana.
Sadom (72), the leader at the halfway stage, overcame a mid-round wobble and finished strong with birdies on his last two holes to stay one ahead of a group of five players. That included Thailand’s Danthai Boonma, who set a new course record with a brilliant bogey-free round of 62.
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Other players in tied third place are Swede Bjorn Hellgren (66), Frenchman Julian Sale (67), Bowen Xiao (67) of China and Australian Kevin Yuan (68).
Ikemura, a two-time champion on the Japan Golf Tour whose best finish on the Asian Tour are a couple of tied second places at the 2018 Leopalace21 Myanmar Open and the 2023 New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport, was cruising at five-under when he made a double bogey on the par-four 12th hole, followed by a bogey on the 15th. However, the five birdies in seven holes from the eighth to 14th, and another on the par-five 18th, ensured he moved to the top of the leaderboard.
“My hitting was really good, but there were a few unlucky shots as well. I hit it in the trees on the 12th hole and got an unplayable lie, but other than that it was a good day,” said the diminutive Ikemura, who played nine events on the Asian Tour last year and finished 53rd in the Order of Merit.
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“I’ve been in contention a few times, but I couldn’t win last year in Japan or in Asia. So, my goal this year is to win in Asia. I’ve worked hard over the off-season. I am working towards a new goal this year, to qualify for LIV Golf. A win would be a good start to the year.”
The 26-year-old Sadom, who has been a picture of consistency the first two days and made his first bogey after 28 holes, made two bogeys and a double in successive holes after starting with four pars in a row. The two birdies towards the end put the smile back on his face.
“I felt a bit nervous at the start, but everything was good until I hit my shot into the greenside bunker on the fifth hole and made a bogey,” said the two-time winner on the Asian Tour.
“I guess I lost confidence a little bit after that, but I tried hard on the back nine and I am happy I could do well on the back nine.
“A win would mean a lot, because I really worked hard for the past couple of years, and I now have a chance. Tomorrow, my gameplan will depend on the wind. I think today the wind changed, which was the reason I lost confidence with my tee shots. If it’s a similar direction wind like the first two rounds, maybe, I can play the same way as I did the first two days.”
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Boonma, who was only one of two players bogey-free on the challenging opening day, made four birdies on either sides of the golf course and was again without a bogey.
“Nothing to complain about today… bogey-free 62 is as good as it gets,” said the Thai star. “I think I controlled myself really well today. I just felt more comfortable than yesterday because I think I had no expectations today.
“The key was that I started really well. I started on hole 10, and I made birdies on 11, 12, and 13, so it made me more confident.”
