Kazuki Higa showed nerves of steel when he drained a 15-foot putt on the final hole to capture the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup by one shot on Sunday.
With his latest victory, Higa becomes the second player after Shugo Imahira to win twice this season.
The contest went down the wire with Higa and Aguri Iwasaki in contention to win the Tour’s flagship tournament outright on the last hole. However, with Iwasaki bogeying, it was Higa, who eventually reigned supreme, when he sunk his clutch birdie putt to sign off with a four-under-par 67 for a winning total of 12-under-par 272 at the Shishido Hills Country Club.
Tomoharu Otsuki was left to rue a costly double bogey on 17 as he let slip of a two-shot advantage to settle for a runner-up finish yet again this season. Otsuki, who finished in a share of second place at The Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament last month, carded a 65 for a 273 total.
Tomoharu Otsuki was left to rue a costly double bogey on 17 as he let slip of a two-shot advantage to settle for runner-up yet again this season. Otsuki, who finished in a share of second place at The Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament last month, carded a 65 for a 273 total.
It was a well-deserved victory for Higa as he fought back valiantly from three shots back at the start of the day to clinch his second title this season, following his triumph at the Kansai Open in April.
Higa’s winning act was inspired by a pair of eagles on the par-five second and 15th holes. He also birdied the par-five six for another gain of the day, which proved crucial for him to make up for the two blemishes on the eighth and 10th.
“I’m really happy as one of my goals this year is to win the JGTO’s flagship event. I managed to do it today. I was really feeling very nervous when I lined up for my putt on the last hole. My body was shaking, but I told myself to calm down. The feeling of seeing the putt drop was simply amazing. I did it!
Higa’s fourth career victory earned him not only a tidy sum of ¥30,000,000 and a five-year exemption but also an invitation to the DP World Tour’s BMW International Open in Germany later this month and the Zozo Championship in October.
The 27-year-old will also tee up at The Open next month by virtue of being the highest-ranked money leader after this week’s tournament.
“It’s a dream come true for me now that I’ll be playing in my first major at The Open. I’ve been watching the tournament on TV since I started playing golf, and I cannot believe I’m going to St Andrews now,” said a jubilant Higa.
Australia’s Anthony Quayle may have fallen short in his bid to win his maiden JGTO title again, but he hopes his consistency will eventually bring him into the winner’s circle soon.
Runner-up last week, Quayle once again put up a commendable performance by finishing fourth after signing off with a 69 to finish on 275 total, three shots behind Higa.
With three birdies in the bag, the Australian had at one stage reached 11-under after 15 holes but was undone by a bogey on the 16th that eventually put paid to his title hopes.
“Unfortunately, the putter was a little bit cold today,” said Quayle, who birdied the opening hole before reeling off 12 consecutive pars.
“As it turned out, if I did not three-putt on 16, I could have a bit of a chance. I feel like I’m a little bit unlucky today, a little bit the same as last Sunday (where he squandered a four-shot lead in the final round before losing the playoff).
“I was playing pretty nicely, and it was just cold putter again. I just couldn’t get the ball into the hole.
“I don’t think I could have done anything else. I handled myself well. It just wasn’t my day, but I’ll keep knocking on the door.”
American Todd Baek came in second-best among the international players this week, closing with a strong 67 to be joint fifth on 276.
Baek started off superbly by gaining five shots in his opening six holes, courtesy of an eagle and three birdies, but he could not quite build on his momentum.
Baek would drop two shots on the seventh and 14th holes before pulling one back with a birdie at the next to salvage a top-five finish- his best result yet this season.
“I had a couple of misses here and there, but overall, it has been a good week,” said the 30-year-old Baek, who is still chasing a maiden JGTO victory.
“I have been travelling quite a bit the last few weeks. I was hitting it okay but wasn’t scoring.
“The recent run definitely gives me a lot of confidence, there’s still a lot of golf left throughout the year, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Eun Shin Park of Korea (69) and Brad Kennedy of Australia (70) made it four non-Japanese finishers in the top-10 after concluding their campaigns in solo sixth and joint-ninth, respectively.
While Eun Shin was making his first appearance of the season, Kennedy extended his top-10 streak to three tournaments in a row following his tied fourth and solo third results at the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament and Mizuno Open in the last two weeks.
