Kodaira slips but readies himself for final battle

Satoshi Kodaira carded a one-under-par 69 to keep his title hopes alive at the Zozo Championship in Chiba on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Kodaira had a strong front-nine, registering back-to-back birdies on holes six and seven, but could not gain further ground at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.

He dropped a bogey on the 17th and then missed a makeable birdie putt on the last hole, finishing just three shots behind American rookie Justin Suh in a tie for fifth place at six-under 204.

Suh shot a 67, leading by one shot over Eric Cole (66) and Beau Hossler (69) at nine-under 201.

Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa put himself back in contention with a 66, standing alone in fourth, just two shots behind the lead.

Kodaira is eyeing a strong finish this week as he aims to retain his PGA Tour card by landing in the top 125 of the FedExCup standings by the end of the Fall Series.

However, he understands that clinching a victory on Sunday could essentially secure his position, and is determined to put forth his best effort.

Kodaira, having clinched the RBC Heritage in 2018 for his sole PGA Tour victory to date, is no stranger to winning. He hopes to relive that glorious moment.

"I’ve almost forgotten what that win was like, but I’ve started to recall what being in contention feels like," said Kodaira, who currently sits No. 183 on the FedExCup rankings.

"I’ve had a lot of great experiences since my win five years ago, and I think that has helped me manage courses better now.

"I’m not always in contention, unfortunately, but I know to be more patient when I play which is probably helping me at the moment."

The local fans have more than just Kodaira to support with Ryo Ishikawa also in the mix, carding a consecutive 69 for a 206 total.

"Today turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated, but that's golf," said Ishikawa after trading four birdies against three bogeys which came in between fifth to 10th.

"I don't know what tomorrow holds, but my game plan remains the same. I want to focus on each shot and enjoy the tension and challenges the game brings."

Suh, making his Zozo Championship debut, secured five birdies against two bogeys, one of which was on the last hole.

The 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year hopes to convert this opportunity into a breakthrough PGA Tour victory.

"I think the experience of the Korn Ferry was huge and I think throughout this year I've put myself in this position a few times in some big tournaments," said Suh, who impressed with two top-10s on the PGA Tour this season.

 "Every week you put yourself in this position you learn a little piece of it.

"Just a shot at a time, I think that's the most important. Just kind of be aware of myself, aware of the conditions. I think that's kind of all you can do."

Leading third round scores:

201: Justin Suh (US) 68-66-67;

202: Eric Cole (US) 65-71-66, Beau Hossler (US) 68-65-69;

203: Collin Morikawa (US) 64-73-66;

204: Emiliano Grillo (Arg) 65-71-68, Satoshi Kodaira (Jpn) 67-68-69;

205: Kurt Kitayama (US) 71-70-64;

206: Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn) 68-69-69, J.J. Spaun (US) 69-68-69, Cam Davis (Aus) 67-70-69;

207: Yuki Inamori (Jpn) 69-67-71;

208: Matt NeSmith (US) 70-72-66, Justin Lower (US) 68-72-68, Kensei Hirata (Jpn) 71-69-68, Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn) 69-71-68, Im Sung-jae (Kor) 67-71-70, Robby Shelton (US) 65-72-71