Yang another Korean winner on Japan Tour

BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2004 Sun Chlorella Classic | Wrap | 08 Aug 2004

South Korean Y.E. Yang today won his first event on the Japan Golf Tour in just his second year of play there when he took out the lucrative Sun Chlorella Classic at the Otaru Country Club in Hokkaido.

Yang played the Japan Golf Tour in 2002 but lost his card and did not play at all there in 2003. He has performed well this year however, with two top tens earlier in the year prior to this win.

Yang shared the lead going into the final day along with Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng, the pair having established a one shot lead over New Zealander David Smail with Shingo Katayama just one shot further back.

Yang and David Smail appeared to be the players most likely to contend the title early on day four as they both recorded two birdies over the front nine, but it was Smail who was first to crack when he bogeyed the 15th, then bogeyed again at the 16th to allow Yang a relatively easy run to the line.

Taiwan’s Wei Tze Yeh came from the clouds to grab a share of second with Smail, his last round 66 the best of the day. Hideke Kase and Marksaeng, who could only manage a 73 on day four, shared fourth.

Such was the prizemoney here that Yang’s win and the resultant 30 million yen moved him to fourth on the Japan Golf Tour money list for 2004. Shingo Katayama moved back ahead of S.K Ho at the top of the list

Steve Conran was the only other Australasian to make the cut finishing in 49th place. The disappointment of the week was the performance of defending champion Brendan Jones who missed the cut and who is now on the way to a start at the USPGA Championship.

The Japan Golf Tour now heads to the southern island of Kyushu for the Hisamitsu KBC Augusta event.