Juvic Pagunsan encountered rough patches but was still able to secure a two-under-par 70 on Saturday, placing him in a tie for fourth with one round left in the Japan Tour’s Mynavi ABC Championship at the ABC Golf Club.
The Filipino veteran grappled with consistency scoring a birdie on his first hole but faltering in the third with a bogey.
He next shot down back-to-back birdies from sixth before bogeying the Par-4 13th and the Par-5 16th. Yet refusing to yield that easily, he birdied the final two holes.
Now he sits at a 15-under total of 201, just three strokes behind the leader, Japanese Keita Nakajima.
Nakajima had a field day scoring birdies (4-7-12-14-15-17-18) and bogeying just once (No. 8) en route to a six-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead with an 18-under 198.
Chasing him is compatriot Taihei Sato whose 67 on the third round pushed him to a 17-under 199 for solo second.
Another Japanese, Taiga Semikawa sizzled with a bogey-free, eight-under-par 64 for solo third at 200.
Joining the 45-year-old Pagunsan at fourth place is South African Shaun Norris whose 68 enabled him to hold on.
The other Filipino seeing action in the meet, Justin delos Santos, carded a three-under-par 69 with birdies on Hole Nos. 4, 7, 14 and 15, and bogey on the eighth.
The 28-year-old Delos Santos in tied for 28th, 12 shots off the leader in the 120-million-yen tournament (roughly P44.7 million).
