Veteran golfer Juvic Pagunsan dropped further into the standings of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics men’s golf tournament, falling to joint 55th on Saturday, July 31, at the Kasumigaseki Golf and Country Club.

Pagunsan fired a five-over par 76 in the third round, tallying a total of two-over par 215 at the end of 54 holes.

The Filipino hit five bogeys, four of which came from the back nine, that made it difficult for him to rebound back to his stunning opening-day performance where he was tied for fifth.

American Xander Scauffele tightened his grip of the top spot with a three-under par 68 to lead with a total of 14-under par 199.

However, the American is not safe heading into the final round as host country favorite Hideki Matsuyama, who became Japan’s first major golf titlist in the 2021 PGA Masters, is just a stroke behind at solo second place.

Matsuyama was one of the remaining golfers who was affected by the second-round suspension due to lightning risk. But the Japanese star closed out the round with a 64, then followed it up with a 67 in the third.

Pagunsan will tee off in the final round on Sunday, August 1 at 6:41 am, Philippine time.

Pagunsan is the oldest member of the Philippine delegation at 43 years old, but had been on a hot momentum heading into the Olympics as he claimed the 2021 Mizuno Open with a three-stroke margin. 

The Bacolod native also qualified for the 2021 British Open, but he opted out due to scheduling conflicts with the Olympics. – Rappler.com