Imahira ties Shimoke for third round lead

Shugo Imahira and Suguru Shimoke will head into the final round of the Vantelin Tokai Classic with a slender one-shot advantage after they signed for matching three-day totals of 10-under-par 203 on a rain-soaked moving day on Saturday.
 
Shimoke, who started the day tied for the lead, carded a two-under-par 69 and showed resilience when his round threatened to unravel. 
 
He admitted the front nine presented plenty of danger but felt his scrambling kept him in contention. A birdie on the 10^th hole helped him settle into a rhythm, and even after pushing his drive into the right bunker on the 13th, he produced a deft approach to escape with par.
 
Rainy conditions added to the challenge, but Shimoke, recalling his professional test that was played in a downpour, kept things in perspective. 
 
“I don’t like playing in the rain, but today was nothing compared to that,” he said with a wry smile. Looking ahead to the final round, the 23-year-old acknowledged he feels nerves on the opening holes of any tournament, but once play begins he quickly calms down. “If I don’t overthink it, I’ll be fine. Winning depends only on how I play.”
 
Imahira matched his co-leader with a composed 68, underpinned by sharp putting. He rolled in key birdies on the second, eighth and 10^th holes, with the birdie on eight proving especially timely. “The birdie on 8 was big,” he explained. “The momentum was starting to slip, and that helped me get back on track.”
 
His improved confidence on the greens came from a simple adjustment. “The greens are slow this week, so I’ve just been hitting the putts a little firmer. The image feels good now.” 
 
Away from the course, Imahira has drawn strength from his young family, including his newborn daughter Sana. “Sharing photos and messages during the week is healing. It really helps,” he said with a smile.
 
Celebrating his birthday week, the 33-year-old is motivated to turn the occasion into a winning one. “It’s been a goal of mine to win this week, especially with my sponsor, BayCurrent. Hopefully, I can make it happen tomorrow.”
 
Leading third round scores
*All Japanese unless indicated otherwise
203 – Suguru Shimoke 67-67-69, Shugo Imahira 68-67-68
204 – Kazuki Yasumori 68-69-67, Song Yong-han (Kor) 69-66-69, Kohei Okada 67-68-69, Taiki Yoshida 68-66-70
205 – Yusaku Hosono 71-66-68, Yuwa Kosaihira 66-68-71
206 – Daijiro Izumida 66-71-69