South Africa’s Kruger takes control

South Africa's Jbe Kruger birdied his last two holes to pull three shots clear after Saturday's third round of the Shigeo Nagashima INVITATIONAL Sega Sammy Cup.

The 37-year-old continued his rich vein of form this week, firing a seven-under-par 65 to lead Shintaro Kobayashi (64) and Naoyuki Kataoka (68) by three on 18-under-par 198 through 54 holes at the North Country Golf Club in Hokkaido.

Kruger, who started the day one shot adrift of second round leader Yosuke Asaji, made seven birdies against a lone bogey en route to grabbing the pole position to put himself in prime position to land his first victory on Japan soil.

Kruger had one JGTO victory to his name, winning the Shinhan Donghae Open in 2019, but the tournament was held in Incheon, South Korea and jointly sanctioned by KPGA and the Asian Tour.

Kruger said he simply can't let his guard down despite the three-shot cushion.

"On the final day, a three-shot advantage can disappear very quickly. It guarantees nothing, you still have to stay focused and take it one shot at a time," stressed Kruger, who has also recorded five wins on Sunshine Tour (South Africa flagship circuit).

"I've been hitting my shots very well for the past two days. Fingers crossed, it will continue to go well tomorrow."

Kruger knows he can count on his wife Denise, who's on his bag, for support as he deals with the pressure cooker on the all-important Sunday.

"As a caddie, my wife has been a great partner for me. She is very steady and reliable, while I tend to have a lot of (emotional) ups and downs," he said.

"I try to listen to what she says because she's very strong mentally. She does a great job of controlling my (emotional) ups and downs. We got married in 2016, and she started caddying for me in 2018."

Kobayashi, 36, and Kataoka, 25, kept pace with Kruger to remain on course for their second victory on the Tour.

Kobayashi, the winner of last year's For the Players by the Players, had the lowest score of the day with a 64. He recorded 10 birdies but also had a double bogey on the 17th hole.

Meanwhile, Kataoka, the 2021 Japan Players Championship winner, crucially eagled the final hole to complement his scorecard, which already included four birdies and two bogeys.

Asaji could only manage a 70, no thanks to back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th holes, on a day where he struggled to find birdies.

Despite gaining four shots on the first, eighth, 13th, and 17th holes, he only placed fourth on his own at 14-under-par 202, just one stroke ahead of the trio of Ryutaro Nagano (67), Yusaku Hosono (67), and Takumi Kanaya (68).

Australia's Anthony Quayle was the other impressive performer of the day, shooting a 66 with an eagle, six birdies, and two bogeys. This propelled him from T22 to T8 on 204.

Quayle will be aiming to secure his first top-10 finish of the season, as his best result so far was a T12 at the Hana Bank Invitational two weeks ago.

Leading third round scores:

198: Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 66-67-65;

201: Shintaro Kobayashi 71-66-64, Naoyuki Kataoka 68-65-68;

202: Yosuke Asaji 64-68-70;

203: Ryutaro Nagano 66-70-67, Yusaku Hosono 71-65-67, Takumi Kanaya 65-70-68;

204: Anthony Quayle (Aus) 70-67-67, Taiki Yoshida 70-67-67, Shugo Imahira 67-69-68;

205: Ryosuke Kinoshita 70-70-65, Taichi Nabetani 70-67-68, Mikiya Akutsu 65-72-68, Toshinori Muto 65-72-68, Song Young-han (Kor) 68-68-69.