Kruger heads into the weekend, one back of Asaji

South Africa's Jbe Kruger has positioned himself well for a weekend charge as he chases his second JGTO title of his career after sitting just one shot off the lead at the halfway stage of the Shigeo Nagashima INVITATIONAL Sega Sammy Cup.

Yosuke Asaji, the overnight leader, maintained his one-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard on Friday by following up his opening eight-under-par 64 with a 68 at the North Country Golf Club in Hokkaido.

After shooting a 66 on Thursday, Kruger continued to impress with another solid round of 67, placing him in a tie for second with Naoyuki Kataoka at 11-under-par 133.

Starting his second round from the inward nine, Kruger faced an early setback with a bogey on the par-three 12th. However, he quickly recovered by carding birdies on the 13th and 18th holes, making the turn at 35.

Kruger avoided any further dropped shots on his back nine and added four more birdies on the first, third, sixth, and seventh holes, improving his position by three spots compared to the start of the day.

With his wife Denise as his caddie, Kruger credited his driving accuracy as the key to his low scores.

"The pin positions were difficult. What was good today was that I was able to place the ball on the fairway. So, I was able to stop the second shot on the green. I think it wouldn't have turned out like this if it had gone into the rough," said Kruger, who is also a one-time winner on the DP World Tour.

"Although I didn't make the cut in the past three years, I do like the course more this time around.

"Compared to last year, the rough is shorter. Last year, the rough was much deeper, so if you missed the fairway, you had no chance. This year, even if you miss the fairway, you can somehow manage. Keeping the ball on the fairway is crucial, I think."

While being in a good position to pursue his long-awaited second win in Japan, Kruger prefers to take it one day at a time.

At the 2021 ANA Open, Kruger led for the first two rounds, but his challenge eventually faded over the weekend, and he settled for a tied 23rd place.

"The next two days are just like any other day. I want to concentrate on each shot ahead of me and do my best," he said.

"But one thing is for sure, my wife and I are enjoying ourselves in Hokkaido. Hokkaido is our favourite place in Japan. The weather in Hokkaido this season is neither too hot nor too cold, it's perfect!"

Asaji traded five birdies, including two in the last three holes, for a lone bogey on the 10th, to maintain his position at the top.

"The day went according to plan. I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to shoot in the 60s, so it's within my expectations," said Asaji.

When asked if victory is within touching distance at this point, Asaji, a three-time JGTO winner but not since 2021, responded: "I have that desire, but right now, I'm more focused on performing well tomorrow rather than desperately wanting to win.

"Perhaps my mindset will change during the latter half of the final day, but until then, I want to calmly concentrate on what I need to do."

The leaders will have to defend against a closely contested leaderboard, with the top 21 players separated by just five shots.

Takumi Kanaya leads a group of four players at nine-under-par, three shots behind the leader.

Leading second round scores:

132: Yosuke Asaji 64-68;

133: Jbe Kruger (Rsa) 66-67; Naoyuki Kataoka 68-65;

135: Takumi Kanaya 65-70, Taiga Nagano 68-67, Takashi Ogiso 67-68, Taihei Sato 69-66;

136: Kazuki Yasumori 68-68, Yusaku Hosono 71-65, Song Young-han (Kor) 68-68, Ryutaro Nagano 66-70, Shugo Imahira 67-69, Tatsuya Kodai 69-67; Hiroki Tanaka 70-66, Todd Baek (US) 68-68.