But last year’s NZ Open champion has a long list of contenders close behind heading into the final round, including the highest-ranked Kiwi in the field this week, Kazuma Kobori.

As many as seven shots behind at one point, Kobori turned an ordinary day into a good one by racing up the leaderboard with four straight birdies to close out his day at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club.

Reaffirming his belief that his game is in great shape, Peake shot a 5-under-par 67 to move to 13-under-par overall, two shots ahead of Kobori, whose late rush saw him post a 67, and Australian James Marchesani, who carded a 66.

A massive group of 10 players is at 10-under, including two host club members – 17-year-old amateur Ryan Xie, who matched the course record with an 8-under-par 64 on Saturday, and the more experienced Nick Voke, who regained some ground by picking up shots in his last two holes to shoot a 1-under 70.

The pack tied for fourth also includes the leading Japan Golf Tour player Aguri Iwasaki (68) and one of the co-leaders after 36 holes, Jay Mackenzie (71).

Peake seized the outright lead by snaring six birdies without a bogey in his first 14 holes, building a lead of four shots before he bogeyed two of his last four.

“To be honest, out of the three days that we've played, that's the worst I've actually played. I just felt I was under the pump all day,” the West Australian said.

“I'm still stinging a little bit from that finish. I just hit a few poor shots coming home there.

“I'm not really looking forward to the conversation in about 10 minutes with my coach.”

Kobori’s four birdies to close out his day included two excellent approach shots on 16 and 18.

“Decided to hit some golf shots coming in which was a good decision,” he said.

Trying to add the ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship to the NZ PGA Championship he won as an amateur in 2019, Kobori revealed he won’t decide on his final-round strategy until he sees the course conditions tomorrow.

“If it's soft like it is today, I can probably chase a bit harder, but if it's firm, there's a massive demand on hitting fairways and greens and then letting the course ask you the questions.

“We'll just see what the course is like tomorrow and then go from there.

“This course is pretty tricky. It was pretty soft today, but hopefully they firm it up tomorrow and give me a chance to get back into it.”

The sub-plot for the final round is the chase for the No.1 position on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit with a number of the key contenders for the tournament title also with a huge chance to jump to the top of the standings with two events remaining.

At No.3 on the list coming into this week, Marchesani is well aware he can most probably wrap up the OOM title outright if he is the victor tomorrow afternoon, especially with current No.1 Cam John tied for 37th at 5-under-par.

“Obviously I know what's at stake. A good day tomorrow is going to go a long way,” he said.

“There's so many points on offer. The higher up I finish, obviously the better, but we've still got 18 holes to play and we'll take it one by one.”

The biggest move on Saturday came from US college-bound Ryan Xie, who matched the composite course record at his home club with an 8-under-par 64.

The reigning Royal Auckland & Grange club champion, who received an invite this week, started with a 74 on Thursday before making the cut on the number thanks to a 68 in Round 2.

Today he collected four birdies on both nines, needing just 25 putts.

“Definitely being a member here is huge edge on the field. I feel way more comfortable with the tee shots and I’m glad I put in the good round today,” Xie said.

“Being a member here is great. Having this tournament here, hosted here, course in such good condition, it's unreal.”

One of the pack tied for fourth, Declan O’Donovan hit a shot he described as one of the best in his life on the 18th, a faded 4-iron into breeze from 201 metres, to set up a tap-in eagle on the par-5 and move to 10-under-par.

Already with his maiden professional win on his resume in 2026, the 22-year-old looms as a huge threat on Sunday.

“I was vibing that shot the last three holes,” the Webex Players Series Sydney champion said of his approach to the dangerous 18th green.

“The last 30 minutes of the round, I was just visualising it and seeing it.

“It came out exactly how I wanted, pitched 10 metres short and ran up to half a foot. Yeah, one of the best shots I've ever hit.”

The top 13 on the leaderboard features 10 Australians and New Zealanders, alongside Japan’s Aguri Iwasaki, China’s Sampson Zheng and Justin De Los Santos from the Philippines.