Villegas wins, Lee stumbles at Tokai Classic
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2007 Coca-Cola Tokai Classic | Round Four | 30 Sep 2007
Until this week, Colombian, Camilo Villegas, had not won as a professional but today he changed all that with a playoff win at the Tokai Classic in Nagoya on the Japan Golf Tour.
Twelve months ago Villegas finished third in this event but today he put together a rock solid round of 71 in demanding wet scoring conditions and then beat Toyokazu Fujishima in a playoff to win what most believe will be the first of many professional victories.
The 25-year-old graduate from the University of Florida has performed with distinction on the USPGA Tour in the two seasons he has played there and in the one season he played on the Nationwide Tour before moving to the higher level. He has had a good season on the 2007 USPGA Tour making the Tour Championship, earning US$1.85 million to date and prior to leaving for Japan had reeled off three consecutive top tens in FedEx Cup events.
Villegas bogeyed his 72nd hole today to miss the chance of outright victory in regular time, but he put it right in the playoff. 26-year-old Fujishima was looking for his first victory also but bowed to the vastly more experienced Villegas.
Yusaku Miyazato finished third while Mikato Inoue dropped two shots late in his round to cost him a chance of victory finishing two behind.
New Zealand’s Eddie Lee will be kicking himself tonight. The talented but struggling 23-year-old had a great opportunity to not only wrap up his card for 2008 but to also gain access to the bigger events coming up in the next few weeks. He dropped four shots in his last three holes however to slip from potential victory to finish 7th.
It was, still, Lee’s best finish by far in his rookie season in Japan and that he has moved to 72nd on the money list is a significant move for him but there is little doubt that this was a great chance that he let slip from his grasp.
Chris Campbell was the only other Australasian to make the weekend and he finished 48th in a week where his sister Nikki finished third in the Japan Women’s Open.
The Japan Golf Tour has a week’s break before the Japan Open in Kanagawa Prefecture starting on October 11th where Paul Sheehan will defend his title.
