Kanaya reaches summit again, wins second JGTO title in three months

Takumi Kanaya won his second JGTO title in the space of three months after carding a three-under-par final round at the Fujisankei Classic.

The 25-year-old Kanaya, who had just won the BMW JGT Championship Mori Building Cup in June, triumphed again with a comfortable four-shot victory after taking a one-shot lead into the final day.

Kanaya mixed four birdies with a lone bogey at the Fujizakura Country Club, securing the fifth JGTO title of his career and wrapping up the week at eight-under 272.

He had also captured the International Series Oman in February, marking his third victory of the year.

Kanaya expressed pleasure that his consistent top-10 finishes in the past three tournaments finally culminated in a victory.

"It was windy today on this difficult course, and I was really tired. This win has given me another boost of confidence," said Kanaya, whose win today helped him reclaim the money list top spot from Keita Nakajima. 

"Thank you very much to everyone in the gallery for today.

"The men's golf is going to be even more exciting with so many young players coming out. We need all the support we can get from the fans.

"I'm aiming for the top prize this year,'' he vowed.

Naoyuki Kataoka, who started the day in second spot, failed to mount a strong challenge and settled for the runner-up position after managing only a 70.

Kataoka recorded four birdies and four bogeys, finishing four-under-par overall, one ahead of third-placed Taichi Nabetani, who also closed with a 70.

Nakajima and Shugo Imahira both posted rounds of 69, tying for fourth with scores of 278.

"I struggled to get onto the green from the fairway, and I encountered such situations more often today. This might be why I ended up at one under," lamented Nakajima.

American Shintaro Ban, who made his Tour debut this season via the Qualifying Tournament, was the best-placed international competitor this week after carding a 69 to tie for sixth place.

It was the 27-year-old's best finish of the season.

Leading final round scores:

272: Takumi Kanaya 68-68-69-67;

276: Naoyuki Kataoka 67-69-70-70;

277: Taichi Nabetani 68-68-71-70;

278: Shugo Imahira 68-70-71-69, Keita Nakajima 67-69-73-69;

279: Daijiro Izumida 72-68-70-69, Shintaro Ban (US) 71-70-69-69, Taiki Yoshida 70-73-67-69;

280: Taiko Nishiyama 72-69-71-68, Yuto Katsuragawa 69-71-71-69, Taisei Shimizu 73-72-66-69, Park Sang-hyun (Kor) 67-72-71-70, Kosuke Suzuki 71-70-68-71, Hirotaro Naito 68-70-70-72.

Ends