Yuta Sugiura will be the man to catch after he signed for a three-under-par 68 to maintain his position atop the leaderboard with his three-day total of 13-under-par 200 at the ACN Championship Golf Tournament at Miki Golf Club on Saturday.
Related: Yuta Sugiura takes command at ACN Championship
Sugiura had a closing eagle on 18 to thank for giving him extra distance between five of his closest rivals – Shugo Imahira, Naoyuki Kataoka, Takashi Ogiso, Shu Fukuzumi and Tatsunori Shogenji, who are tied for second on matching 203 totals.
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Starting the day with a two-shot advantage, Sugiura parred his first seven holes before picking up a gain on the par-four eighth. After turning in 34, he dropped a shot on 12 but recovered with another birdie on 14.
He then held on to a slender one-shot advantage before the eagle-three on 18 lifted him further from the chasing pack.
“That second shot on 18 was perfect,” said Sugiura, who struck a three-wood from 260 yards to within two metres before calmly rolling in the putt. “It felt great to finish like that, especially after three-putting on the seventh earlier. I got a good read on the line from Mikumu [Horikawa], who putted before me, and that really helped.”
Although birdie opportunities were limited, Sugiura was pleased with how he stayed patient and avoided big mistakes.
“I didn’t have many chances today, but I’m glad I kept the bogeys to a minimum,” he said. “My putting wasn’t as sharp as the first two days, but I stayed steady and focused.”
A crucial par save on the 17th helped preserve his momentum going into the closing hole.
“That par on 17 was big,” he added. “It gave me confidence heading to the 18th tee.”
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With a three-shot cushion heading into the final round, Sugiura is determined to stay composed and continue playing within himself.
“My goal today was to make sure I would still be leading going into the final day,” he said. “The pins have been tough all week, so I’ve been aiming safely for the centre of the greens. I’ll try to keep doing that tomorrow and play stress-free golf.”
