BATTLE-HARDENED PRAYAD READY TO POUNCE AT PANASONIC OPEN JAPAN

 

Noda City, Chiba, Japan: Thai veteran Prayad Marksaeng is ready deliver the knock-out punch to his closest rivals after returning a four-under-par 67 in the third round of the Panasonic OPEN Japan on Saturday.

He trails South Korean leader Junggon Hwang by one shot with a three-day total of nine-under-par 204 at the ¥150 million (approximately US$1.37million) event. The 51-year-old is confident he can overcome his one-shot disadvantage with his aggressive style of play.

 

Prayad, a multiple winner in Japan, is tied for second together with the Japanese duo of Hiroshi Iwata and Mikumu Horikawa at the Chiba Country Club.

 

Philippines’ Juvic Pagunsan, who started the day in tied-second place, slipped to a share of seventh place after his erratic form saw him sign for a 71 at the Panasonic OPEN Japan which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO)

 

The 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion is chasing his first win in Japan, having come close with a third-placed finish last week.

 

After rounds of 72 and 69, China’s Liang Wen-chong made his move with a 68 that saw him move up to tied-20^th place, six shots back of Hwang.

  

Leading Scores

par 213 (3x71). Yardage: 7130

203 - Junggon HWANG (SKOR) 69-69-65.

204 - Mikumu HORIKAWA (JPN) 73-68-63, Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 68-69-67, Hiroshi IWATA (JPN) 67-70-67.

205 - Seunghyuk KIM (SKOR) 68-70-67, Katsumasa MIYAMOTO (JPN) 69-68-68.

206 - Kyungnam KANG (KSOR) 68-71-67, Yoshinori FUJIMOTO (JPN) 70-68-68, Juvic PAGUNSAN (PHI) 68-67-71.

207 - Shunsuke SONODA (JPN) 72-70-65, Keiichiro FUKABORI (JPN) 72-69-66, Ryuko TOKIMATSU (JPN) 71-69-67, Arjun ATWAL (IND) 69-69-69, K.T. KIM (SKOR) 70-67-70.

208 - Junwon PARK (SKOR) 73-68-67, Mingyu CHO (SKOR) 71-67-70, Hyungsung KIM (SKOR) 67-71-70, Inhoi HUR (SKOR) 67-68-73, Jason KNUTZON (USA) 64-69-75.

209 - Yuta IKEDA (JPN) 73-69-67, LIANG Wen-chong (CHN) 72-69-68, Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 71-70-68, I.J. JANG (SKOR) 69-71-69, Shugo IMAHIRA (JPN) 70-70-69, Kenichi KUBOYA (JPN) 69-71-69, Sungjae IM (SKOR) 71-68-70, Wonjoon LEE (AUS) 71-67-71, Yujiro OHORI (JPN) 70-65-74, Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) 67-68-74.