Sugiura takes outright lead at Japan PGA Championship

Yuta Suigura will head into the final round of this week’s Japan PGA Championship with a two-shot advantage over Taiga Semikawa after carding a third round seven-under-par 65 to maintain his position at the summit on Saturday.

Having joined the paid ranks late last year, Suigura is looking for his professional breakthrough at the ¥150,000,000 event, which is held at the Fuji Country Kani club. 

The 22-year-old had already enjoyed a distinguished amateur career when he became the first-ever amateur and only seventh amateur winner in JGTO history to do so when he won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament in November last year.

“I played really good golf today. My putting was excellent. Even the putts that didn’t go in, they were very close to the hole.” said Suigura, who traded eight birdies against one bogey for a three-day total of 18-under-par 196.

“It’s going to be unpredictable until the end. I cannot afford to let my guard down. So I hope to stay aggressive and win despite the heat.”

Suigura will have to be wary of Semikawa, who is determined to stage a fightback after losing his share of the lead in the penultimate round.

The 23-year-old, a four-time JGTO winner, enjoyed blemish-free rounds for the last 36 holes but lost that proud record after dropping a shot on his closing 18^th hole, which also left him frustrated. 

“I wanted to set a bogey-free record and finishing without any bogeys in 54 holes would have been a confidence boost. I don't want to lose to anyone, regardless of their age. Last year, I had several second-place finishes, and I hope not to be in that position again tomorrow. 

“When I won my last four titles, I was either leading or tied for the lead going into the final day. So, for tomorrow, I just need to strategise how to chase and make up for the deficit now,” said Semikawa.

Ends.

Leading third round scores
196 Yuta Sugiura 65-66-65
198 Taiga Semikawa 65-66 – 67
201 Taihei Sato 69-65-67
202 Yuki Inamori 71-67-64, Takumi Kanaya 65-70-67, Taisei Shimizu 65-66-71
203 Sejung Hiramoto 66-71-66, Kosei Takeyama 67-68-68, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 70-63-70
*All Japanese nationals unless indicated otherwise