Tempo Desk
Juvic Pagunsan kissed his Olympic bid goodbye after shooting a birdie-less five-over 76 going into the final 18 holes of the golf competition in the Tokyo Games.
Everything went wrong for the pride of Bacolod this time as he dropped from a share of 25th to joint 55th with four others at the Kasumigaseki Country Club
With his three-day total of 215, Pagunsan is virtually out of it – 16 shots off American and world No. 5 Xander Schauffele who shot a 68 in the third round after completing a record-tying 63 in the weather-delayed second round earlier in the day.
Schauffele is a shot ahead of Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, the winner of this year’s Masters in Augusta, Georgia.
Pagunsan started the front nine with just one bogey on the par-5 5th hole. But stumbled again on Nos. 11, 12, 16 (which he birdied in the first round) and 17.
Focus now will be on Schauffele and 9 others who are expected to figure in a thriller of a finish Sunday.
England’s Paul Casey also made his move, firing a 66 to draw level with unfancied Carlos Ortiz at 201.
At 202 were four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, Spain’s Sebastian Muñoz Chile’s Mito Pereira and first round leader Sepp Straka of Austrla, just three strokes off the leader.
An stroke farther adrift was Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood who came away with a 64 behind a fiery backside run of five birdies, including four straight from No. 11. (with a report from Jonas Terrado)
