Hoshino wins Japan Tour Championship
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2008 UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship | Round Four | 06 Jul 2008
30-year-old, Hidemasa Hoshino, today won his third career Japan Golf Tour event with his victory at the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship Shishido Hills Championship in Ibaraki Prefecture just outside of Tokyo.
On the demanding layout at the Shishido Hills Country Club, Hoshino extended his three shot third round lead early on day four with two birdies in his first three holes five holes and from there his chasers were essentially playing for second. Although there was a minor hiccup in the middle of his round, no-one was able to get close and despite a bogey at the last he won by five shots from Australian Brendan Jones and Japan’s Takao Nogami.
Hoshino’s win in the lucrative event has moved him to third position on the Japan Golf Tour money list behind the leader, Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng and Shingo Katayama. Hoshino also led into the final round at the recent Mitsubishi Diamond Cup event but a mid-round slump there allowed Marksaeng and others to overtake him. Today however he had enough in store to recover from consecutive bogeys at the 10th and 11th holes and he cruised to an emphatic victory.
Canberra’s Brendan Jones, playing in his first Japan Golf Tour event for five weeks, recorded his best finish of the season and his fourth top ten in seven starts on the 2008 Japan Golf Tour. Jones’ final round of even par 70, secured a share of second place and a cheque for ￥12,600,000.
Perhaps the most bizarre round of the day came from Hiroshi Iwata, who was in joint second place overnight. His final round of 75 included one eagle, four birdies, three bogeys, two double bogeys and a triple bogey. He finished 7th.
The next best of the Australasians was David Smail, who finished in a share of 9th, recording his equal best finish of the season. Scott Laycock was 23rd, Chris Campbell and Craig Jones 46th and Craig Parry 55th.
Australasian Japan Golf Tour golfers, Brendan Jones, David Smail and Craig Parry have each earned starts at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in ten days time. Jones qualified via the 2007 Japan Golf Tour money list while Parry and Smail through their efforts on the 2007 Australasian Tour money list.
The next Japan Golf Tour event starts on July 23rd at the Sega Sammy Cup in Hokkaido.
