Jet Hernandez and Shinichi Suzuki combined for a six-under-par 138 in the third round on Thursday to put Team Philippines firmly in title contention in the 31st Nomura Cup team golf championship in Beijing, where Hong Kong-China maintained its lead.
The national Strokeplay and Match Play champions back home, respectively, Hernandez and Suzuki produced the second-best team score of the day at the demanding Bayhood 9 Golf Club. Their performance helped the Filipinos cut what was a 10-shot deficit at the start of the round in half, putting them in position to challenge for their first Nomura Cup title.
“We put ourselves in a great spot to have a chance to win this thing,” said the 21-year-old Hernandez, who drained six birdies en route to a four-under-par 68. The Filipinos take a 426 aggregate into the final 18 holes.
“The game plan will stay the same for us,” he went on. “And that is to do whatever it takes to shoot the lowest score possible.”
Suzuki, meanwhile, birdied three of his last six holes to card a 70, with the duo making up for Rolando Bregente’s struggles as he returned a 78.
“I hit it really well out there,” the 18-year-old Suzuki said. “My round was basically like that of (Wednesday) but I just couldn’t get some of my putts to drop. Then came a really terrible double bogey on N0. 10 for me. We pretty much struggled on that hole all week.
“But it definitely was our day today,” he added. “We were able to improve by eight shots (from the second round) and cut our deficit in half. It will definitely be an exciting final round tomorrow.”
Jeffrey Shen and Markus Zachary Lam fired matching 70s to give Hong Kong-China a 140 for the round and a 421 aggregate, keeping them two shots ahead of Japan. The Japanese duo of Kaito Sato and Mao Matsuyama carded a 68 and 71, respectively, for a 139 and a 423 total.
China sits just one stroke behind the Filipinos, while South Korea surged with the day’s best team score of 136 to move within three shots of the Chinese in fifth place. The result pushed powerhouses New Zealand and Thailand into a share of sixth at 433 after posting 141 and 144, respectively.
“Our mindset is to stick to our game plan and give our 100% out there (in the fourth round),” the 6-foot-3 Suzuki went on. “And lastly, surrender everything into God’s hands.”
