Outsider Hwang wins Mizuno Open
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2011 Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic | Wrap | 26 Jun 2011
Yet another teenage star has emerged on the world golf scene with Korea’s Jung-Gon Hwang today winning the Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour by one shot over his fellow countryman Kyung-Tae Kim with Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and yet another Korean, Sang-Moon Bae, sharing third position.
The 19 year old Hwang not only wins his first title on the Japan Golf Tour but guarantees himself a start at the Open Championship at Royal St Georges next month as the leading four players in this week’s tournament, not otherwise exempt, earned the right to play that event.
Hwang has missed the cut in five of the seven events he has played to date in his rookie Japan Golf Tour season but looked anything but a novice today as he came from three shots off the 54 hole pace with a final round of 66 to claim the title.
Beginning this tournament Hwang was ranked outside the top 1000 in the world so to say the least this is a week that will change his life.
Hiro Kawai and Tadahiro Takayama also earned starts at the Open Championship for being the leading two players on the 2011 Japan Tour money list at the completion of this event. Hwang, Brad Kennedy, Sang Bae Moon and Prayad Marksaeng are also on their way to the Open as a result of finishing inside the top four this week of players not otherwise exempt for the Open.
Queenslander Brad Kennedy bogeyed the final hole but his final round of 68 secured him not only a 5th place finish but a start at the Open Championship.
This was Kennedy’s second top five finish in succession it continues a great start to his rookie season in Japan and secures his immediate future there. He has moved to 18th on the 2011 money list
Paul Sheehan lost some ground on the final day with a round of 75 to finish in a share of 18th while Brendan Jones was the only other Australian to make the cut finishing in 25th position.
The Japan Golf Tour now has a lengthy break before their next event the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup in Hokkaido starting on July 21st.
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