INZAI CITY, Japan — Justin Suh shot a 3-under 67 on Saturday to guide the third spherical of the Zozo Championship, the primary time he’s the chief going into the ultimate day of a PGA Tour occasion as he seems for his first tour victory.
Only one shot behind are fellow People Eric Cole and Beau Hossler, who’re additionally searching for their first PGA Tour victories. Cole shot 66 and Hossler, the second-round chief, had a 68 on a sunny fall day on the Narashino Nation Membership simply exterior Tokyo.
To make the three very uncomfortable, first-round chief Collin Morikawa is simply two photographs again after a 66. Morikawa is seeking to break a “mini-slump” since successful The Open in 2021 and the DP World Tour Championship later that yr. He additionally received the PGA Championship in 2020.
Suh performed on the Korn Ferry Tour, the developmental feeder for the PGA Tour, and credit the expertise there for his rising maturity.
“All through this yr I’ve put myself on this place just a few instances in some massive tournaments,” Suh mentioned. “Each week you set your self on this place, you study a bit of piece of it.”
Suh is a former No. 1-ranked world newbie and a former Pac-12 participant of the yr at USC.
“I believe simply gaining the expertise is the large half,” Suh mentioned. “Hopefully, you already know, I simply come right here and simply do what we have been doing; attempt to discover fairways, greens and simply concentrate on all of the altering situations.”
Morikawa hit solely three fairways in a wind-blown 73 within the second spherical. He was hardly any higher Saturday, hitting 4. However regardless of dropping three photographs over the primary 4 holes, he recovered with eight birdies and a bogey over the past 14 holes.
“It wasn’t an lack of ability to deal with the wind; it was simply an lack of ability to hit fairways. And that continued at present,” Morikawa mentioned. “Look, the irons nonetheless actually good. It isn’t the irons. It is simply can I handle from the center of the green or not.”
Morikawa nearly predicted he could be a significant menace Sunday to the three forward of him.
“I have never had a spherical like that shortly,” he mentioned. “I believe it simply reveals that my head’s in the precise house.”
Hossler mentioned the identical factor about hitting the fairways, and several other gamers talked about studying the altering wind route with a sunny day predicted for Sunday. In a single day rain was predicted for late Saturday.
“The important thing out right here is completely to get the ball within the fairway as a result of enjoying out of this zoysia tough, you simply don’t have any clue what it’ll do.” Hossler mentioned.
Morikawa has distant roots in Japan, so successful right here could be particular. There are additionally a number of Japanese gamers — or gamers with Japanese roots — within the chase.
Satoshi Kodaira of Japan is three again at 6-under 204 after a 69. American Kurt Kitayama had the low spherical Saturday with a 64, leaving him alone at 4 again. And Ryo Ishikawa of Japan carded a 69 and is in a gaggle of three that is 5 off the tempo.
