Korean Hwang Jung-gon eagles final hole to edge favourite Ryo Ishikawa at Casio World Open

Tokyo: South Korean Hwang Jung-gon made a spectacular eagle at the final hole to earn a one-stroke victory over local favourite Ryo Ishikawa at the Casio World Open in Kochi on Sunday.

After being outdriven by around 30 yards at the par-five 18th, Hwang crushed his approach from the fairway to 10 feet from the hole and sank the winning putt to polite if perfunctory applause from the gallery at Kuroshio Country Club on the island of Shikoku.

He carded 66 to finish at 15-under-par 273, with Ishikawa (68) coming up narrowly short in his quest for his 13th victory on the Japan Tour, despite birdies at the final two holes.

The bespectacled Hwang, 23, collected 40 million yen (US$325,000) and improved his world ranking from 233rd to inside the top 160.

It was his third victory on the Japan Tour, and his second in Kochi, after his previous success in 2012.

Ishikawa has been a household name in his home country since he won a Japan Tour event when he was a 15-year-old amateur in 2007.

Now 24, he plays primarily in the United States on the PGA Tour, where he twice has finished second but has yet to win.