Ogiso seeking third time charm in South Korea

Takashi Ogiso stands on the brink of his maiden JGTO victory after carding a five-under-par 66 at the Hana Bank Invitational in South Korea on Saturday to open up a two-shot lead with just one round to play.

The 27-year-old, who started the day one shot off the pace, made his move early at Nam Chun Cheong Country Club in Gangwon, with five of his six birdies coming on the front nine as he reached the 54-hole mark at 11-under 202.

While a lone bogey on the 10th hole prevented Ogiso from ending the day with a bigger advantage, a victory on Sunday would be his most significant yet in his nine-year professional career after having won twice on the ABEMA Tour.

Ogiso, who did not miss a single cut on JGTO last year, has been knocking on the door more than ever recently.

In fact, he has found himself in the lead or co-lead after the penultimate round for the second successive week and the third time overall this year.

Last Sunday, he ended up tied for 12th at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Mori Building Cup. He also failed to convert his opportunity at The Crowns, ultimately finishing in a tie for third.

The JGTO contingent is making its presence felt in the KPGA's fortress, with 2022 JGTO Money Rankings winner Kazuki Higa also impressing with a 66 to move into solo second at nine-under.

Among the three overnight co-leaders, South Korea's Lee Sang-hee was the best performer, salvaging a 70 to stay within striking distance at eight-under 205.

However, the other two faltered - Tsubasa Ukita battled to a 72 to slip into a tie for sixth, while Hiroshi Iwata shot 74 to drop back into a tie for 15th.

Ogiso is keeping his feet firmly on the ground despite his two-shot lead, hoping the third time will be the charm on Sunday.

"This is my third time entering the final round with the lead this year. So I really hope it's the charm," said Ogiso.

"My opponents are formidable, so I can't afford to let my guard down at all. I'm confident in my current form to win if I just play my own golf properly."

As for Higa, he will be keen to capitalise on this opportunity to make a big statement and reassert his credentials with a win.

The 29-year-old has found it tough to reproduce the blistering form that saw him claim four titles in that sensational 2022 season. 

After spending most of his time abroad struggling to make an impact, Higa has now re-focused his efforts on the JGTO, playing all eight events so far this year.

Higa attributed his fine play today to his pin-point putting.

"I made quite a few good putts. The pin positions were difficult, making precise approach shots challenging, but I managed to sink several mid-range putts from 6 to 10 meters, which was great,

"The longest one was over 10 meters on 17. I hope to keep this momentum going and play my game without worrying too much."

Leading third round scores:
202: Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66;
204: Kazuki Higa 67-71-66;
205: Lee Sang-hee (Kor) 69-66-70;
206: Yang Ju-bin (Kor) 67-72-67, Koshiro Maeda 69-69-68;
207: Shunya Takeyasu 69-71-67, Kim Seng-yong (Kor) 66-72-69, Lee Dong-hwan (Kor) 69-67-71 Tsubasa Ukita 67-68-72;
208: Ok Tae-hoon (Kor) 71-69-68, Kwon Sung-yeol (Kor) 71-69-68, Park Sung-kug (Kor) 69-71-68, Sejung Hiramoto 72-69-67, Song Young-han (Kor) 68-70-70.