Karandeep Kochhar stayed in contention but slipped to tied fourth after a challenging third round at the International Series Japan.
The Indian carded a 2-over 73 to move to 8-under for the week, two shots behind co-leaders Shugo Imahira and Hongtaek Kim.
After two bogey-free rounds, Kochhar endured a mixed day with three birdies and five bogeys.
He started well with a birdie on the second but dropped back with consecutive bogeys on the third and fourth. Further dropped shots on the ninth and 12th stalled his momentum, and despite a birdie on the 14th, a late bogey on the 17th capped a difficult round.
At the top, Kim and Imahira share the lead at 10-under after rounds of 72 and 71 respectively.
Yubin Jang sits one shot back, while Kochhar shares fourth with Travis Smyth, who fired a 68.
Windy conditions made scoring tougher, especially on the back nine, where several contenders struggled to maintain control.
With just two shots separating Kochhar from the lead, the final round remains wide open.
Photo – Asian Tour
