Ikeda wins shortened Canon Open
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2009 Canon Open | Round Three | 11 Oct 2009
Yuta Ikeda today moved within just ¥500,000 (A$6,000) of the absent Ryo Ishikawa on the 2009 Japan Golf Tour money list when he won his third title of the season at the rain shortened Canon Open near Yokohama.
The tournament was reduced to 54 holes after Typhoon Melor had slammed into the island of Honshu on Thursday wiping out play and eliminating any chance of a 72 hole tournament being completed. It may have still been possible but with the Japan Open being played this coming week the chance of any overrun was ruled out of the question.
In addition to his three wins, Ikeda has been once runner up and three times 3rd in his 15 starts this season and stays right on the heels of Ishikawa who is of course doing battle with the Americans for the International Team at the Presidents Cup in San Francisco this week.
The 23-year-old Ikeda is in just his second season on the Japan Golf Tour after playing just ten events in his first season in 2008. He opened with a round of 64 on Friday to lead after round one and although he trailed second round leader Kenichi Kuboya by three heading into today’s final round the result was soon put beyond doubt with his front nine of 30.
Ikeda eventually won by four over Tomohiro Kondo and American Han Lee. Lee, who was twice the Canadian Amateur Champion, is playing his second season and has ensured himself not only a place in Japan in 2010 but starts in the bigger events over the next few weeks.
The leading Australasians were Brendan Jones and David Smail who finished in a share of 8th position, both earning a cheque for ¥2,538,750 and holding 6th and 9th positions on the 2009 money list.
Steve Jeffress was 38th, Steve Conran 43rd, while Wayne Perske and Craig Parry were 54th.
The Japan Golf Tour now moves to arguably their flagship event of the year the Japan Open which is being played at the Musashi Country Club near Tokyo.
