Matsumara wins Tokai in playoff
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2010 Coca-Cola Tokai Classic | Round Four | 03 Oct 2010
27-year-old Michio Matsumura today staged a fast finish, survived a playoff against Takashi Kanemoto and Hiroyuki Fujita and won his first Japan Golf Tour event, the Coca Cola Tokai Classic in Nagoya.
Matsumara, who is playing his 4th season on the Japan Golf Tour, appeared to have lost any chance when he dropped three shots early in his round and at that point was seven behind the leader, Kanemoto.
Matsumara would produce a remarkable seven birdies in his last twelve holes however including consecutive birdies at his closing two holes for a round of 68 and eventually a playoff victory at the third extra hole.
Kanemoto appeared to have the tournament in his hands when with two holes to play he held a two shot lead. A bogey at the 17th and the birdie at the final hole by the winner however resulted in a playoff with Fujita recovering from a double bogey at the 16th to birdie the 17th and join the extra time battle.
Brendan Jones followed up his win last week in Kobe with another good week when he finished in a share of 4th with Ryo Ishikawa and Koichiro Kawano. Jones earned ￥4,960,000 or $A61,000 and maintains his 8th place position on the money list.
Jones will miss next week’s Canon Open preferring instead to return to Canberra for a week before the lucrative Japan Open gets underway on October 14th.
Canberra’s Chris Campbell finished in a share of 15th and aided his cause in his quest to retain status in Japan. Wayne Perske was the only other Australian to make the cut when finishing in 66th position.
Campbell now sits in 70th position on the money list and must stay there or improve over the next two months if he is to keep his playing rights in Japan in 2011. Perske has slipped to 71st.
The Japan Golf Tour will now play next week’s Canon Open before the Japan Open the following week.
