Unheralded Yasumori races to three-shot lead

Unheralded Kazuki Yasumori maintained a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open in Okayama, while the Philippines' Justin De Los Santos continued to chase his second straight Open Championship appearance.

The 25-year-old Yasumori followed his career-best round of 63 with an impressive five-under-par 67 at the JFE Setonaikai Golf Club on Friday, reaching a total of 14-under-par 130.

Keita Nakajima and Kosuke Suzuki both shot 66 and 65 respectively, sharing second place at 11-under-par 133. Takumi Kanaya was two shots behind following a strong 64.

Starting the day with a four-shot lead, Yasumori, making his fourth start of the season and only seventh overall on the JGTO, was hardly threatened at the top.

He continued his excellent form, birdieing the second, third, fifth, and sixth holes, and finished his flawless day with another birdie on the 13th, setting himself up for a potential fairy-tale finish on Sunday.

Yasumori attributed his success to his ability to stay calm throughout the day and not get distracted by the leaderboard.

"No, my approach hasn't changed at all. I just kept it simple, played my usual game, and focused on what I can control," he said.

Yasumori also expressed his amazement at the overwhelming response he received after emerging as the surprise first-round leader.

"I even received messages from friends who don't usually contact me," he said.

"It's surprising to see that people are actually watching. I received about 40 direct messages on Instagram, more than on LINE. It's nice to know that people are watching."

When asked if he was excited about the prospect of making his Major championship debut, Yasumori replied, "I'm not really thinking about that. I believe that if I keep doing what I need to do, everything will fall into place.

"Despite being in this position, I want to stay humble and not get complacent."

Meanwhile, De Los Santos shot a 70 and remained on track to qualify for the 151st edition of The Open Championship, which will be played at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club on July 20-23.

Starting from the inward-nine, De Los Santos had a modest start, trading two birdies with two bogeys in the opening seven holes.

He secured two more birdies after the turn and then recorded seven consecutive pars to finish in a share for seventh place at six-under-par 138, trailing Yasumori by eight strokes and just three strokes off the top four standings.

The top four finishers this week who have not yet qualified will earn their place in the fourth and final Major event of the year.

Leading second round scores:

130: Kazuki Yasumori 63-67;

133: Keita Nakajima 67-66, Kosuke Suzuki 68-65;

135: Takumi Kanaya 71-64;

137: Ryota Wakahara 71-66, Daijiro Izumida 68-69;

138: Shintaro Kobayashi 70-68, Kensei Hirata 67-71, Justin De Los Santos (Phi) 68-70;

139: Yosuke Asaji 71-68, Taihei Sato 70-69, Mikumu Horikawa 69-70, Masashi Hidaka 72-67, Lee Sang-hee (Kor) 68-71, Ryosuke Kinoshita 69-70.