Delos Santos fights back with 65, rallies within 2

MANILA, Philippines – Justin delos Santos surged into contention with a fiery seven-under performance through 11 holes, briefly seizing the joint lead before a late double-bogey setback. However, he rallied with a clutch birdie on the final hole to card a 66, securing a share of fifth place after 54 holes in the Vantelin Tokai Classic in Japan on Saturday.

After tumbling to joint 24th at the halfway mark despite an impressive opening 66, Delos Santos roared back into the title hunt with a 203 total, just two strokes behind joint leaders Aguri Iwasaki and Yusaku Hosono as they head into the final round of the Japan Golf Tour event.

The Filipino-American looked poised to take control early on, delivering a spectacular start that featured five birdies en route to a frontside 30 at the Miyoshi Country Club’s West course. Birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 vaulted him to 11-under, tying him for the lead with six holes left to play.

Though he missed his birdie opportunity on No. 12, Delos Santos quickly erased a bogey on No. 14 with another birdie on the par-5 15th. But disaster struck on the par-3 16th, where an errant tee shot led to a costly double bogey, dropping him down the leaderboard.

Refusing to fold, he parred the 17th and capped off his round with a crucial birdie on the 18th, keeping him firmly in the mix for a shot at his breakthrough victory.

Iwasaki, meanwhile, carded a 68, tying Hosono, who shot a 69, for the lead at 201, one stroke ahead of Yusuke Sakamoto and Takahiro Hataji, who matched 202s after 64 and 69, respectively.