Kuboya stands tall in Japan Open chaos
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2012 Japan Open | Wrap | 14 Oct 2012
Kenichi Kuboya was the last man standing when the Japan Open finally drew to a close at the Naha Golf Club on Okinawa today. The 40 year old won his own national open over Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines with Tetsuji Hiratsuka in third position.
For the 40 year old Kuboya, it was his 6th Japan Golf Tour victory and surely the most hard earned he has recorded. At 8 over par Kuboya finished one ahead of Pangusan, who in his rookie season on the Japan Golf Tour was looking to make the flagship event on Japanese golf his first victory.
Kuboya has been struggling for much of this season with just one made cut in his previous ten starts but this was a golf course that turned even the most predictable form upside down. It took 13 over to make the cut and by week’s end 14 over par made the top ten.
Kuboya out together a strong finish over the closing stages when he birdied the 16th and parred the final two holes, which on this day and on this golf course was almost an impossibility. Pagunsan, on the other hand, dropped three shots on his final two holes to miss the playoff by one, after leading when Kuboya finished twenty minutes earlier.
Former winner, David Smail, finished as the leading Australasian when he finished 28th, Brad Kenney was 38th, Steve Conran 43rd and another former winner Paul Sheehan 54th
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