Tokyo: Japan`s Ryo Ishikawa fired birdies on the last two holes to capture the Tokai Classic by a stroke in a dramatic finish to the tournament on Sunday.
The 18-year-old, already one of Japan`s biggest sporting celebrities, carded a three-under-par 69 to finish 14 under par and win his fourth title of the year on Japan`s JGTO Tour."I won by a hair but I just couldn`t face losing," Ishikawa told reporters at Miyoshi Country Club.
"I was motivated by wanting to beat my earnings for last season and get past the 100 million yen barrier again."
It was Ishikawa`s sixth career title and took the Japanese money ranking leader`s earnings for the season to more than USD 1.3 million.
Takeshi Kajikawa finished runner-up after a 69 while Shingo Katayama (70) and Yuta Ikeda (71) claimed a share of third at 11 under.Ishikawa, who made his major debut at the US Masters earlier this year and made the cut at the US PGA Championship in August, is widely seen as the saviour of the Japanese tour,
His decision to turn professional in January 2008 was estimated to earn him close to USD 10 million in the first five years, a figure set to balloon as endorsements flood in.
Bureau Report
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