Hiratsuka wins Mitsubishi Diamond Cup
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2007 Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf | 27 May 2007
Tetsuji Hiratsuka survived a tense closing nine holes at the Mitsubishi Diamond Cup to win his fourth Japan Golf Tour event and this event for the second occasion since 2004.
The 35-year-old was one of six leaders with just seven holes to play but late birdies at the 14th, and importantly the last, managed to get him home by a shot from Satoru Hirota and Kiyoshi Miyazato.
A bogey at the 13th appeared as if it may cost Hiratsuka the chance of victory but it would be the more experienced Toru Taniguchi and Hiroyuki Fujita and the Thai player, Prayad Marksaeng, who were each playing in the final group of the day and behind the winner, who cost themselves a chance of victory with a series of dropped shots bogeys over the closing holes. Fujita fell victim to a triple bogey at the 17th while Marksaeng and Taniguchi each dropped two shots over the final holes. That trio finished in a share of fifth after they had all looked like possible winners with just a few holes to play.
Hiratsuka had finished with a final round of 67 and set the mark at a very high scoring 2 under on a golf course that had proven to be a beast all week. Horror weather conditions earlier in the week had not helped make this event an attractive spectacle either as the field battled at times torrential rain.
Brendan Jones was again the best of the Australians after withdrawing from last week’s Munsingwear Open and spending several days confined to his hotel room with a flu like virus. Jones finished 11th including a quadruple bogey at his 8th hole in round one. Jones moves back to third position on the Japan Golf Tour money list.
Steve Conran finished 14th, Wayne Perske 17th and David Smail 26th.
The Japan Golf Tour now plays the JCB Classic near Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture north of Tokyo this week.
