Chiba (Japan), April 4 Indian golfer Karandeep Kochhar carded a 73 in the third round to finish tied for fourth at the International Series Japan, here on Saturday.
Kochhar, who had played bogey-free rounds on the first two days (67-65), had five bogeys on the windy third day, though his three birdies lessened the impact.
With a score of 73, he is now eight under par and tied for fourth, having been tied second at the halfway stage.
Korean golfer Hongtaek Kim maintained the lead for the third consecutive day after a closely contested final round, with Shugo Imahira from Japan joining him at the top.
Kim, who started the round with a one-shot lead, carded a one-over-par 72 to be at ten under par, with his playing partner Imahira scoring a 71.
Yubin Jang of Korea is one stroke behind, having carded a 71 at the Caledonian Golf Club, outside Tokyo, with Australian Travis Smyth and Kochhar, another stroke behind.
The other Indian in the field, Jeev Milkha Singh, struggled with a 7-over 78, putting him six over par for the two rounds and tied for 71st.
The other Indians: Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia, Jyoti Randhawa and Shaurya. Bhattacharya had missed the cut.
Kochhar, playing in the lead group, birdied the second hole, but bogeyed the third and fourth. Another birdie on the sixth was followed by the ninth. On the back nine, two bogeys and one birdie resulted in a round of 73.
Kim managed to maintain the lead despite windy conditions on the back nine, making bogeys on the 10th, 12th, and 14th holes, while Imahira, Jang, and Smyth all birdied the 18th.
The 32-year-old is aiming for his second win on the Asian Tour, having won the GS Caltex Maekyung Open on home soil two years ago, while a win tomorrow would be his maiden title on The International Series.
He admitted to having a less than ideal preparation coming into the week, as his wife recently gave birth to their second child.
Imahira also faced challenges on the inward half, dropping shots on the 14th and 15th holes before his closing birdie. He is attempting to become the first player from Japan to win this title, with Australian Lucas Herbert having won the inaugural edition last year.
He has won 10 times on the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO) and also back-to-back JGTO Money List titles from 2018, he will start as one of the favourites on Sunday.