The battle continues at Dunlop Phoenix
IN: News | Japan | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 13 Nov 2007
After one of the most dramatic finishes ever on the Japan Golf Tour at last week’s Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo tournament, the focus will move south to the seaside city of Miyazaki on the south east coast of Kyushsu, the southern island of Japan.
The Phoenix Country Club, built on a beautiful piece of golf course land adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, is once again the venue for the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament as it has been since first played in 1985.
The Dunlop Phoenix has for many years been the number two tournament in Japan (after the Japan Open) although many would argue it has even more significance. It carries the same amount of prizemoney as the Japan Open but regularly attracts high quality international players in addition to the Japan Golf Tour’s strongest players and this year is no exception.
Tiger Woods has been a two time winner of the event and although the world number one is not in the field this week, the defending champion and British Open Champion in 2007, Padraig Harrington, is here along with Luke Donald, the in-form South African Tim Clark and Henrik Stenson, who all bring a strong world golf ranking representation.
Harrington defeated Woods in a playoff last year to win and is having a brilliant year. He should go close to winning again.
Clark is a gritty competitor who has played very well in the latter part of his 2007 USPGA Tour campaign. His last start was when runner up at the Children’s Miracle Worker’s Network event behind Stephen Ames in Orlando three weeks ago.
Donald has done nothing special in the last few months but is a class player at best and if he can find that sort of form might do well and Stenson seems to have rediscovered his game in recent weeks after an ordinary run of form for a few months.
The Japanese are well represented with their leading two players in 2007, Toru Taniguchi and Shingo Katayama, expected to challenge the invited foreigners although it may be the Australians who will offer the most significant hurdle for the internationals to overcome.
Brendan Jones sunk a 50 foot eagle putt at the last hole on Sunday to edge out Taniguchi and Adam Scott to win at the Visa Taiheiyo and given the consistent manner in which he is playing in season 2007 there appears no reason why he can’t continue. Jones has missed only one cut in seventeen starts this season in Japan – has won twice and had five other top ten finishes.
Other Australasians in the field include Steve Conran, David Smail, Craig Parry, Wayne Perske, Paul Sheehan and Chris Campbell.
