In a fairytale finish, the unheralded Yuji Igarashi enjoyed the biggest moment of his career when he won the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship to post his first professional victory at one of Japan’s most prestigious events.
Opening the final day two shots adrift of leader Yuta Ikeda, Igarashi won a battle of attrition in keeping with the honour winning the first ‘Major’ of the Japanese season at Shishido Hills, known as one of the toughest courses on the Japan Golf Tour.
In front of a record crowd of more than 10,000 fans on the final day, Igarashi played the brutal back nine in one-under par for a final-round 70 and, with strong winds playing havoc with scoring, that was enough to hold the challengers at bay.
Said the 40-year-old Igarashi: “I have not really realised the magnitude of my win. Since the beginning of the season, I had not made a cut. However, I knew I was playing well, so I increased the amount of practice I was doing and I knew it would pay off.
“I tried not to look at the leaderboard, but I saw it before I hit my par putt on the final hole and that was the first time I knew I was tied for the lead. I was surprised that I wasn’t nervous at all when I was playing. I knew that back nine was difficult, so if I didn’t drop any shots I knew I would be in a good position.”
In addition to a cheque for ¥30,000,000 and a unique silver trophy, Igarashi earned a place at the Bridgestone Invitational in early August. The US$8 million World Golf Championship has been won by Tiger Woods six times and in 2008 saw Vijay Singh triumphant.
Igarashi, who did not win a dollar on Tour last year, was 100 per cent right in his assessment of the dangers of the back nine.
While he posted five straight pars to finish the tournament, IJ Jang of Korea stumbled to three bogeys in the last four holes – including, heartbreakingly, one on the final hole that handed victory to Igarashi – and frittered away his two-stroke lead. Jang was joined in equal second by David Smail of New Zealand and Japan’s Toru Suzuki.
With almost 25,000 fans coming through the gates this year, another tournament record, Igarashi was not the only star of the show. Ryo Ishikawa, the undisputed star of Japanese golf, saw his every moved followed by thousands of spectators. Known as the Bashful Prince, the 18-year-old had to make do with a tie for 50th, although he was still the focus of a media frenzy.
Said Ishikawa: “For third and fourth days, the hole locations were really difficult and you needed to have very accurate iron shots. I am not happy with my scoring this week and was hoping to be under par.
“I had an eagle and some birdies, but it was just not enough as the conditions were very tough with the wind,” said Ishikawa, who has already won twice on the Japan Golf Tour.
Local favourite Shingo Katayama, the 2007 champion, finished in a tie for 38th, while last year’s winner Hidemasa Hoshino ended in equal 66th. UBS’s sponsor invites, Noh Seung-yul of Korea and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang finished 44th and 61st respectively.
One of the most prestigious events in Japanese golf, the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship was played amongst the forests of Ibaraki Prefecture, about an hour northeast of Tokyo.
