Jones tops Japan and Nationwide Tours with Mizuno win
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2004 Mizuno Open | Wrap | 27 Jun 2004
29-year-old Canberra resident, Brendan Jones, today completed a simply outstanding month when he survived a playoff with Hiroaki Iijima to win his second Japan Golf Tour event of the year and third tournament of the year. His win in today’s Mizuno Open now sees Jones on top of both the Japan Golf Tour and Nationwide Tour money lists.
In March, Jones won the Tsuruya Open in Japan, then two weeks ago, took the Nationwide Tour’s La Salle Bank Open title in Illinois to be assured of his USPGA Tour card for 2005. Just last week Jones was competing in his first major, the US Open at Shinnecock Hills where he missed the cut, but headed back to the Japan, keen to finish the year as high up the Japan Golf Tour money list as possible. “I would like to finish the year as high up as I can,” said Jones before last week’s US Open. “If I am able to finish in say the top three, it will gain me access to world events that I perhaps would not otherwise.”
In a delayed fourth round, Jones was one of four leaders heading into the final day and put together a closing three under 69 to hold all but unheralded Iijima at bay in regulation play. For Iijima, this would not only be his best finish on the Japan Golf Tour but his first top ten. A birdie by Jones and fellow third round leader, Hidemasa Hoshino at the second today, saw that pair break clear briefly, but by the sixth Jones, Hoshino and Yusaku Miyazato had a share of the lead at thirteen under. Miyazato took the lead outright, one ahead of Jones, when he birdied the tenth but as he and Hoshino fell away on the back nine, Jones was left on his own until Iijima’s two late birdies forced the playoff.
For Jones this was his second playoff in less than a month, having lost an eight hole playoff to Chris Anderson at the SAS Carolina Classic in late May. His record this season is three seconds, a fourth and a win on the Nationwide Tour in six starts and now in Japan, two wins and a fourth in five starts there.
For Iijima, the disappointment of losing the playoff will be somewhat softened with the news that he now has a British Open berth, this event providing one place at Royal Troon for the highest finisher not otherwise exempt.
Jones will play next week’s Japan Golf Tour Championship in Ibaraki Prefecture before a week’s break, then head to the British Open where he has gained a start via International Qualifying in January.
Last year his fellow countryman Andre Stolz had the lead on both the Japan and Nationwide Tour money lists but that was much earlier in the season and so this performance sets some sort of record by leading both tours at this stage of the year.
Hiroyuki Fujita and Takashi Kanemoto shared third, one behind the playoff pair, with three further golfers one shot back in fifth place.
Of the other Australasians, David Smail closed with a 70 to finish in 8th place and his best placing of the season, Scott Laycock dropped four shots on the back nine when very much in contention to eventually finish 15th, Craig Jones was 24th and Steve Conran 39th.
