Defending champion Brooks Koepka will take a four-stroke lead into the final day of Japan's Dunlop Phoenix tournament after firing a sizzling seven-under-par 64 in the third round.
The US Open champion mixed eight birdies with a single bogey on Saturday at Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki to move to 16-under 197 for the tournament, four shots better than South Korean Lee Sang-hee, whose 66 was good enough for second place.
Koepka's compatriot Xander Schauffele hit five birdies and a bogey in his 67 for third place on 11-under, with another South Korean Ryu Hyun-woo a shot further back in fourth after a 69.
Japan's world No.4 Hideki Matsuyama bogeyed his second-last hole to drop to an even-par 71 and sixth place on eight under, a stroke behind fifth-placed compatriot Toshinori Muto (68).
Koepka, who has made retaining a title one of his goals for the year, picked up a shot at his final hole on Friday to take a one-shot overnight lead and continued in the same vein on Saturday with birdies at his first two holes.
Two more birdies at the fifth and seventh took him well clear of the field at the turn and, after his single blemish at the par-4 12th, he picked up four more strokes on the way home.
