Two wins in a row for veteran Joe Ozaki
IN: News | Japan | The Crowns (2005) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 01 May 2005
Joe Ozaki won his second Japan Golf Tour event in succession today when he defeated Australian Steve Conran in a playoff to win The Crowns tournament near Nagoya.
Ozaki, who last week won the Tsuruya Open to claim his 33rd title on the Japan Golf Tour, came from one behind Daisuke Maruyama after three rounds to record a final round 67 and force the playoff with Conran, who had earlier powered home on the final day with a final round 66 to just fail to win his second ever event on the Japan Golf Tour.
Both players finished one ahead of Korean Y.E. Yang with overnight leader Daisuke Maruyama sharing fourth place along with star recruit and the leading world ranked player in the event, South African Trevor Immelman.
Last week Ozaki won his first event in early 18 months in Japan and showed today that just two weeks short of his 49th birthday, not only will he be a player to contend with in senior golf over the next few years, but in regular tour events also.
Conran, who won on the Japan Golf tour for the first time last year at Fukuoka, has already had a good start to the 2005 Japan Golf tour season with a 3rd place at the Token Homemate Cup and a 13th place finish last week in the Tsuruya Open. The Australian continues to go quietly about his business in Japan, accumulating a great living there. This was his 27th top ten there since joining the JPGA Tour in 1997. His bogey at the short and benign downhill par four 16th today, will no doubt have him reflecting on what might have been.
Conran, however, has moved into third place on the money list behind Ozaki and Kiyoshi Miyazato with his ¥12 million or AUD$146,000 windfall today for the runner-up placing.
Of the other Australasians Paul Sheehan and Nick Flanagan were 41st, David Smail 46th and Scott Laycock 51st.
The Japan PGA Tour now has a one week break before their PGA Championship in Kumamoto starting on May 12th.
