Happy Song in driver's seat with Nagano

South Korea's Song Young-han carded a modest third-round two-under-par 70, moving into a shared lead with Taiga Nagano at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship on Saturday.

The overnight leader, Song, finished with a 16-under-par 200 for the tournament after registering five birdies and three bogeys at the Onotoyo Golf Club in Hyogo.

Taiga Nagano, who is 12 years Song's junior, joined him at the top after carding a 68, bolstered by seven birdies and offset by three bogeys.

Ryutaro Nagano, Tomoharu Otsuki, and Takashi Ogiso make up a trio of players just one shot behind in a tied-third position.

As many as seven players, including Philippine star Juvic Pagunsan, are within five shots of the lead. This sets the stage for a challenging final round for Song, as he looks to secure his second win of the season.

"I wanted to extend my lead a bit more, but it was disappointing that the putts didn't go in. However, I believe I'm still in a good position," said Song, who won the KBC Sansan Augusta, ending a seven-year drought just four weeks ago.

"For now, I have a chance to lead into the final day. I've won twice so far, but neither was a decisive victory (his previous two wins, including the SMBC Singapore, were by a one-shot margin). This time, I aim to win by a more significant margin and will give it my all."

Nagano was pleased with his consistent performance, placing him in genuine contention for a JGTO breakthrough.

To date, his best achievement was finishing as runner-up at the Japan Players Championship by Satosyokuhin, a tournament he led during the second and third rounds.

When asked about his desire for the title, he emphatically declared, "100%."

"If I can score a five-under, I believe I might at least reach the playoff. If the wind remains as strong as today and I can still shoot five-under, that would be ideal," he added.

Pagunsan, back from a three-week break, showcased one of his standout recent performances by recording a bogey-free 65, the day's lowest score.

Trailing by just four shots, Pagunsan has his eyes set on making a significant move on the final day, potentially contending for a second title of the season following his victory at the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament.

"I struck the ball well today and also had a good touch on the greens," remarked Pagunsan, who missed four consecutive cuts before his brief hiatus.

"In golf, a touch of luck sometimes goes a long way. Scoring seven-under is commendable. Hopefully, I'll maintain this form tomorrow."

Leading third round scores:

200: Taiga Nagano 65-67-68, Song Young-han 63-67-70;

202: Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66, Tomoharu Otsuki 69-66-67, Ryutaro Nagano 63-69-70;

203: Kazuya Koura 69-68-66, Tatsunori Shogenji 69-67-67;

204: Juvic Pagunsan (Phi) 69-70-65, Naoyuki Kataoka 70-66-68, Ren Yonezawa 66-66-72;

205: Eric Sugimoto 72-66-67, Todd Baek (US) 65-70-70.