LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryutaro Nagano is definitely making the most of his first tournament in the United States.
The 35-year-old Japan Golf Tour player was in eighth place Saturday through three rounds of the U.S. Open. Nagano was 4 under through 54 holes, six shots behind co-leaders Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler.
Nagano will play alongside Xander Schauffele on Sunday in the fourth-to-last group.
“I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play well for the last three days, and to be here is amazing,” Nagano said through an interpreter after he shot a 2-under 68 at Los Angeles Country Club.
Nagano is No. 522 in the latest world golf ranking and got into the field by earning one of three spots in U.S. Open qualifying in Japan.
His best finish in four years on the Japanese tour is a second in the 2021 Mizuno Open, which qualified him for the British Open. He missed the cut two years ago at Royal St. George’s.
His only PGA Tour start was at the 2021 Zozo Championship in Japan, when he tied for 39th.
The biggest key to Nagano’s success this week has been his play on the par 5s, where he leads the field at 9 under. He went 4 under on Saturday, including an eagle on the 522-yard eighth hole when he chipped in out of the rough.
“It was a great line that I wanted the birdie putt to be focused on. But the ball went to where I didn’t expect it to be, to be an eagle,” he said.
Nagano was tied for the lead in par-3 scoring at 3 under, but was tied for fourth-worst on the par 4s at 8 over.
If Nagano finishes in the top 10, he will earn an automatic spot for next year’s tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. That will be the furthest thing from his mind, though.
“I am definitely focused on the last round. As long as I focus on my game tomorrow, then I will think about it,” he said.
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