Despite struggling to a 75 on Saturday, Shaun Norris continued to hold onto his position atop the leaderboard of the Japan Golf Tour’s Japan PGA Championship thanks to a record-tying second round where he shot a 61.

Tatsunori Shogenji made his move with a five-under-par 67 to share the third round lead with Norris with their matching three-day total of 12-under-par 204. The pair will head into the final round with a slender one-shot lead over Yusaku Hosono, who signed for a 69 for a 205 total at the Sanko Golf Club.

Starting the round tied for sixth and eight shots back of Norris, Shogenji stumbled early with a bogey on the third hole. The 27-year-old, who won the season-opening Token Homemate Cup, recovered quickly by picking up three birdies in his next four holes, starting from the fourth before adding another three on holes 12, 17 and 18 in his back nine.

“I stayed patient throughout the round today. After the 16th hole, I saw the leaderboard and thought, ‘He’s not pulling away as much as I expected.’ On 17, I got lucky and managed to make a birdie. I was happy to get another on 18 too.

“If I stay calm and composed tomorrow, I think I have a chance. I’ve been in contention almost every week but haven’t been able to close it out since my season-opening win. I want to grab this opportunity tomorrow,” said Shogenji.

Norris, meanwhile, remained upbeat of his chances after a forgettable round where he started well with two birdies on holes two and six but dropped five shots with three bogeys on nine, 12 and 18 as well as a double bogey on 14.

“In a four-day tournament, there’s always going to be one day that doesn’t go your way. Not everything can go perfectly. That’s just how it is sometimes.

“There wasn’t anything particularly bad today. I had my chances but couldn’t capitalise on them. The course conditions played a part as well. Today’s over, and tomorrow’s a new day. I’ll reset and move forward,” said the South African.