MANILA, Philippines – Juvic Pagunsan put in a strong start he hoped would save a floundering campaign on the Japan Golf Tour, shooting a four-under 66 for joint third, just two strokes off Naoto Nakanishi after 18 holes of the Taiheiyo Masters in Shizuoka Prefecture Thursday.
The veteran Filipino campaigner leaned on his superb putting to get into the early mix in the $14 million event, finishing with 25 putts, six of which in scrambling fashion at the Taiheyo Club’s par-70 Gotemba course.
Coming off a so-so tied for 43rd finish in last week’s ABC Championship in Hyogo, the former Asian Tour No. 1 shot two frontside birdies and strung up a pair of feats from No. 12 before regaining a stroke he yielded on No. 15 with another birdie on the closing par-5 hole.
Pagunsan also missed five fairways but came through with superb recoveries to turn in a pair of 33s and tie Hiroshi Itawa, who hit four frontside birdies then survived a roller-coaster backside stint of three birdies against the same number of bogeys, at third.
Pagunsan, who scored a JGT breakthrough after a decade in the Mizuno Open last year, has posted a year’s best tied for fifth finish in the Panasonic Open, also in Hyogo, last September in a campaign marred by missed cut stints.
Nakanishi, meanwhile, used a fiery backside start of 31 he laced with an eagle on No. 18 on his way to a 64 and a one-stroke lead over Yujiro Ohori, who also banked on a backside 31 charge to card a 65 for solo second in the third-to-last tournament in this year’s Japan Tour.
The season ends with the Golf Japan Series JT Cup featuring only the Top 30 in the money rankings.