Shimizu soars to two-shot lead on eagle wings

Taisei Shimizu took over the lead at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship, thanks to two sensational eagles he carded in his back-nine after the third round at the Arima Royal Golf Club on Saturday.
 
The 25-year-old fired an eight-under-par 64 to overcome a two-shot deficit and overtake Kensei Hirata for the outright lead. With his three-day total of 20-under-par 196, he also has the chance to get his career breakthrough on the JGTO this week.
 
Hirata, who is chasing his sixth JGTO victory and fourth win this season, returned with another 68 and will start this final round two shots back of Shimizu in second place. Yusuke Sakamoto (64) and Mikiya Akutsu (68) are tied for third on 199 total.
 
Shimizu came out with all guns blazing with a birdie on his first hole. He dropped his only shot of the round at the par-four three but recovered quickly with birdies on five and seven to turn in 34.
 
However, it was in his back-nine that Shimizu’s game came alive. After soaring ahead with an eagle on 12, another eagle on 15 lifted him further ahead before a pair of birdies on 16 and 17 gave him total control over the chasing pack.
 
“My putting has improved a lot and my secret is not to overthink things. Even if the putt doesn’t go in, if I’ve read it right and made a good stroke, eventually it’ll fall. I made a slight adjustment to my address of the ball this week, and it’s been working really well,” said Shimizu.
 
Shimizu will be going into the final round with the outright lead for the second time this season. The last time he led a tournament was at the Kansai Open in May where he eventually finished third.
 
When asked how he would handle the pressure tomorrow, Shimizu said: “It was frustrating, but I learned a lot from it. I felt rushed at times that day, and there were moments where I couldn’t make key putts. For tomorrow, I need to stay calm and wait for my momentum to come, like today. Staying patient will be very important.”
 
Hirata, who has yet to drop a shot in his last 47 holes, enjoyed another flawless round with four birdies on holes one, nine, 10 and 13. While he remains firmly in the hunt for his fourth win this season, the inability to convert his chances left him frustrated.
 
“My target was to reach 20-under today and I’m frustrated I was not able to achieve that today. It was nice to finish with another bogey-free round. However, I did my chances and just didn’t take them well today,” said Hirata.
 
Leading third round scores
All Japanese unless indicated otherwise
196 – Taisei Shimizu 63-69-64
198 – Kensei Hirata 62-68-68
199 – Yusuke Sakamoto 68-67-64, Mikiya Akutsu 65-66-68
200 – Ryo Katsumata 65-65-70
202 – Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66, Tomohiro Ishizaka 67-67-68
 
Ends.