Pena holds out Jones and Ozaki in Hokkaido

BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2002 Sun Chlorella Classic | Wrap | 11 Aug 2002

For both American Christian Pena and Australian Brendan Jones their week in Sapporo, Hokkaido this week may well provide a turning point in their respective careers.

Pena won his first event in Japan by beating both Jones and Joe Ozaki in a three way playoff for the event and Jones had his best finish in his second year there with his tie for second.

Arizona’s Pena, who played the Davidoff Asian Tour until two years ago winning the Malaysian Masters in 1997 and regularly finishing well placed on that money list, has now played in Japan since 2000 but this is his first win. He did however finish second at the ANA Open, also in Hokkaido, in his first season (2000) so he seems to enjoy golf in the north. His win was worth $US275,000 (A375,000) and he is now in eighth place on this season’s money list. He joins fellow Amercian Dean Wilson (4th) who this week plays the USPGA as Americans inside the top ten on the Japan money list

Jones, from Sydney, is now in his second year in Japan. His debut season last year included a fourth place at the Casio World Open but this event has provided him with his biggest cheque in the game and moves him to 27th on this season’s money list. His takings for the week were 10,000,000 yen or $A155,000.

46 year old Joe Ozaki, who played in the US for several seasons before returning to Japan Tour full time in the middle of last year, had his best finish here since his win in the Japan Open in 2000. Ozaki was a prolific winner of events in Japan through the eighties and early ninties before heading to the US. He led the way for the likes of Maruyama and company to follow in terms of Japanese playing the US Tour full time. He is of course, a brother of both Jumbo and Jet Ozaki.

The Gold Coast’s Brad Andrews was fourth in what was his best finish in Japan in five years trying. He finished only one shot behind the playoff with a last round of 64 which unfortunately for him, did not include a birdie at the par five last. Still he will be enjoy the $A85,000 he picked up.

New Zealanders David Smail and Richard Lee tied for 12th, Anthony Gilligan was 25th, Richard Backwell 35th and Craig Warren 41st.

The Japan Tour now heads to Fukuoka at the other end of the country for the Hisamitsu KBC Open