Nakajima lurks as Jarvis takes pole position

Keita Nakajima remains firmly in contention for a second straight victory after posting a five-under-par 65, trailing South African leader Casey Jarvis by two shots following the penultimate round of the ISPS HANDA Championship on Saturday.

Nakajima fought back valiantly from an opening-hole bogey by notching six birdies, including four in his last five holes, at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course, climbing nine rungs to tied-third on 11-under-199. 

He was joined by compatriot Ryosuke Kinoshita, who impressed with a flawless round of 66 which featured four birdies.

Nakajima, who won the Indian Open three weeks ago, will be extra motivated to make a big push on Sunday and secure his second consecutive victory on the DP World Tour, in the presence of his family members and home fans.

Nakajima is also vying for his fifth title on the JGTO circuit.

"I'm aiming for the win, especially with many of my family members coming to watch me tomorrow. Despite this event being held in Japan, I've been competing on the DP World Tour, so I'm eager to secure another victory," vowed Nakajima.

"I'm feeling confident, so I'll maintain patience tomorrow and strive for the win once more."

Kinoshita, aiming to break a three-year JGTO title drought, is equally motivated by the prospect of earning a direct entry to the DP World Tour with a victory.

"After a solid game overall, I encountered some trouble on the 12th when I landed in the bunker, but I managed to save par. I'm pleased with today's bogey-free round," said Kinoshita.

"Finishing my round without feeling tired indicates that everything went smoothly, and I enjoyed the game.

"I aimed for a birdie on the last hole. Considering the potential for low scores from European players on Sunday, I need to maintain a competitive score. There's still a chance for me.

"I'm grateful to Mr. Handa for providing us with this opportunity in Japan, I hope to see it continue in the future."

Meanwhile, Jarvis will be hoping to preserve his one-shot lead over Germany's Yannik Paul after a sublime 64 took him one step closer to his maiden DP World Tour victory.

"It would mean the world to win," said Jarvis.

"I've worked pretty hard for this so I'll just go out tomorrow and stay patient and play every hole as it comes.”

Leading third round scores:

197: Casey Jarvis (Rsa) 66-67-64;

198: Yannik Paul (Ger) 65-65-68;

199: Li Haotong (Chn) 66-69-64, Keita Nakajima 66-68-65, Ryosuke Kinoshita 66-67-66, Tom Vaillant (Fra) 67-65-67, Sebastian Soderberg (Swe) 66-64-69;

200: Mathieu Pavon (Fra) 68-68-64, Ivan Cantero (Esp) 70-66-64, Joel Girrbach (Sui) 67-68-65, Yuta Sugiura 68-67-65, Yuto Katsuragawa 70-65-65, Marcel Scheinder (Ger) 67-67-66, Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) 66-68-66, Matthew Southgate (Eng) 67-65-68, Taisei Sato 68-62-70.