Delos Santos loses touch, bid for 2nd Open stint

MANILA, Philippines – Justin delos Santos found the going a lot tougher in the crucial third round of the Mizuno Open, posting a birdie-less 73 to all but bow out of contention in the Race to the British Open at the JFE Setonaikai Golf Club in Okayama Prefecture in Japan Saturday.

In the thick of things after rounds of 68-70 for joint seventh Friday, delos Santos did set up a number of birdie chances on both nines but failed to convert any of them, ending up with a 36-37 marred by a missed green mishap on No. 10.

He continued to struggle with his long game, missing eight greens, and though he wound up with a 28-putt showing, he still finished without a birdie in a day when majority of the contenders pressed their respective bids.

With a 211 total, the Filipino-American product of California State University fell to tied 26th and way off the Top 4, which will earn slots to this year’s British Open in England in July.

In contrast, halfway leader Kazuki Yasumori stayed on top despite a 70 as he kept his two-stroke lead intact with a 200 aggregate, two shots clear of Takumi Kanaya, who rallied with a 67 for a 202, while Keita Nakajima and Kosuke Suzuki took the next two spots at 203 and 204 after 70 and 71, respectively.

Delos Santos wound up fourth here last year to gain a first-ever major stint in the Open, where he placed 74th.

Juvic Pagunsan, who reigned here in 2021 but opted to play in the Tokyo Olympics than in the Open, missed the cut a week after scoring his second Japan Golf Tour win in the Golf Partner Pro-Am tournament in Ibaraki.