Kondo wins, Conran 6th at Crowns
IN: News | Japan | The Crowns (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 04 May 2008
Japan’s Tomohiro Kondo today claimed his fourth Japan Golf Tour title when he defeated Hiroyuki Fujita to win the Crowns Tournament at the Nagoya Golf Club’s Wago course at the second extra hole of a playoff.
Kondo set up the victory with a brilliant third round of 64, which took him from 36th on Friday evening to joint second overnight heading into the final round. He and Fujita trailed the leader Ryoken Kawagishi by two as day four dawned but Kawagishi, looking for his first win in Japan since 1999, stumbled early when dropping three shots in his first four holes.
Three players, Kondo, Fujita and Shingo Katayama appeared set to battle it out as the trio took turns in the lead at 9 under. Katayama with 23 JPGA Tour victories to his name appeared the most likely to go and win but he would bogey the 14th leaving Kondo in the lead on his own at 9 under and one ahead of Fujita and Katayama.
The final hole at the Wago Golf Course is a demanding par four and, with a one shot lead as he, Kawagishi and Fujita reached the tee, it appeared Kondo had the edge but Fujita was able to secure the birdie needed to tie and take the event into a playoff. It ended at the second extra hole when Kondo holed a lengthy birdie putt to take the title.
Katayama finished alone in third while Kawagishi recovered with a birdie at the last to share fourth with veteran Toru Suzuki.
Steve Conran was the best of the Australasians in 6th place, Brendan Jones was 8th, David Smail was 12th, Chris Campbell 41st, Paul Sheehan 48th, Scott Laycock 56th and Craig Parry 58th.
The Japan Golf Tour now heads across the Japan Sea to China for this week’s inaugural Pine Valley Beijing Open, an event co-sanctioned between the Asian and Japan Golf Tours.
