The owner and creator of ProjectOnePutt, a putting system adopted by some of the best players in the world, Kennedy let his own putter do the talking on Saturday at PGM Ishioka Golf Club.

After two-putting his first four holes, Kennedy used the flatstick just 15 more times over the subsequent 14 holes in a round of six-under 64 that sees him start Sunday in outright second and just one back of Rikuya Hoshino (64).

A three-time winner on the Japan Golf Tour, the 48-year-old’s last win in Japan came at the 2018 Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup and knows another hot round with the putter will be crucial in breaking the drought.

“The breeze was a bit tricky, but two, three and four made some really nice shots into those holes,” said Kennedy.

“Hit plenty of good wedges and it was a really nice front nine. Overall, it was a really solid day.

“I hit the wedges I wanted to hit and made some good putts that were outside of 10 feet.

“Really happy with how I hit the ball. I drove it straight, but it wasn’t perfect. Hoshino played very well and there are other guys who shot good scores too. It’s going to be a challenging day (on Sunday).”

Kennedy is anticipating another tough, breezy day for the final round but is ready for whatever is thrown at him.

“I haven’t seen the weather forecast yet, but if it’s something similar to today, the pins will be a little bit tougher,” he said.

“It’s going to be a bit harder to get some of the shots close. There are a couple of really strong par-4s out there. If you can manage those and take advantage with some wedges, then you can shoot a good score.

“That will be my game plan. I will be going out there trying my best and leaving with no regret.”

A round of two-over 72 saw Brendan Jones drop to a share of 16th at eight-under as Matthew Griffin returned a third straight 68 to be six-under and tied for 30th.

Another Aussie hoping to end a winless drought is Aaron Baddeley.

The most recent of the 41-year-old’s four PGA TOUR wins came at the 2016 Barbasol Championship and he will start the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship two shots back of Seamus Power (65) and Ben Griffin (66).

Baddeley made a promising start to his third round with three birdies on the trot from the second hole, ultimately signing for a three-under 68 and 54-hole total of 16-under.

Although the strong winds made ball control challenging at Port Royal Golf Course, Baddeley says he feels a great sense of comfort in being back in contention again.

“It feels like it’s the right spot to be, to be honest,” said Baddeley, who only earned his place in the field through the Monday qualifier.

“I feel like my game’s been in the spot to be in this position for a while and it’s just nice to be here, be back having a chance to win.

“That’s why we practice, that’s why we play, having a chance to win come Sunday.

“I’ve won four times on the PGA TOUR, I won four times in Australia, so I feel like I can win.

“I’m definitely feeling very comfortable with my game. I’d like it to be windy again tomorrow just because where my game’s at, I feel like I’m just playing nice, hitting the ball solid, putting nicely.

“I feel like everything’s in a good spot. It’s just a matter of going out tomorrow and just keep playing and hopefully come up the last with a chance to win.”

Rookie Harrison Endycott is also well placed through 54 holes, in a tie for 13th at 11-under as he chases a second top-10 finish of the season.

Birdies at the final two holes of his third round will see West Australian Jason Scrivener start the final round of the DP World Tour’s Portugal Masters in a tie for eighth.

Scrivener shot five-under 66 for the second time this week to be eight shots back of England’s Jordan Smith but three shots out of third place.

The all-Aussie team of Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Wade Ormsby and Matt Jones also remain in the hunt to be crowned the inaugural LIV Golf champions in Miami after accounting for Fireballs GC in the semi-finals.

Representing Punch GC, Leishman’s 1 up win over Carlos Ortiz and Ormsby and Jones combining to beat Abraham Ancer and Eugenio Chacarra in the foursomes ensured they advanced to the final four having entered the week ranked No.11 of the 12 competing teams.

The format now changes to stroke play for the third and final round where the team with the lowest cumulative score will be declared champions.