Smail in hunt at Japan Golf Tour

David Smail has a chance on Sunday to put his heartbreaking Australian Open loss
behind him.
Smail will go into the final round at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship only one
stroke from the lead.
He remained in the hunt for his sixth Japan Tour title with a two-under-par 69 on
the punishing Shishido Hills course on Saturday.
"I played really well through the middle part of the round," said Smail, who
recorded four birdies in five holes from No.9.
"I felt better about the way I played today than yesterday, a bit more confident
with the driver.
"On a lot of holes, if you miss the fairway you're going to make bogey, so you've
just got to keep trying to hit fairways and greens."
Smail, winless in nearly four years, is equal second with Korean I.J. Jang, one
stroke behind Japanese leader Yuta Ikeda, who shot the days best score, a 66, to
post a nine-under 204 total.
Six months have passed Smail was on the verge of the biggest win of his career,
three shots ahead with four holes left at the Australian Open at Royal Sydney.
However, the 39-year-old Kiwi self-destructed with consecutive double bogeys at the
15th and 16th holes, finishing one stroke behind South African winner Tim Clark, who
beat Tasmanian Mathew Goggin in a play-off.
Smail doesn't want to think about it right now, but you can be sure that victory in
the Japan Tour's flagship event would help salve the wound.
But he will have to be near his best on Sunday, because nine players are bunched
within four shots of the lead.