Third time’s indeed the charm for Ogiso

Ninth-year professional Takashi Ogiso clinched a dramatic victory on Sunday to win the Hana Bank Invitational in South Korea, securing his maiden title on the JGTO.

The 27-year-old Ogiso fended off a fierce challenge from South Korea's Jang Yu-bin with a birdie at the last hole, finishing the tournament at 14-under-par with a final-round 68 at Nam Chun Cheon Country Club in Gangwon.

Jang, playing in the penultimate group, applied pressure on Ogiso by birdieing the par-five 18th for a brilliant 65 to tie at 13-under and potentially force a playoff.

However, Ogiso kept his composure, landing his second shot just outside the green but close enough to the pin.

Although narrowly missing his chip-in for eagle, the victory was never in doubt as he duly tapped in for birdie, claiming the biggest title of his career.

This victory allowed the JGTO to reclaim bragging rights from their KPGA counterparts, after Yang Ji-ho secured victory during the groundbreaking event jointly sanctioned by the two tours, in Japan last year.

Ogiso was delighted to finally come good on his third attempt, having twice failed to convert as the penultimate stage leader at The Crowns (finishing third) and last week's BMW Japan Golf Tour Mori Building Cup (finishing tied-12th).

"I'm really happy. Since the start of this season, I've been focused on winning, but I was disappointed that I couldn't achieve it," said Ogiso. "I wondered if it wouldn't happen in this tournament either, so I'm glad I could secure this victory."

Ogiso's two-shot advantage at the start of the final round proved tenuous as he was fiercely pursued by several Koreans, including Jang, Lee Sang-hee, and Lee Dong-hwan, especially on the front nine.

Despite being caught up by his competitors multiple times, Ogiso held firm and never relinquished the lead, with Jang being the only one able to keep pace with him in the closing stretch.

"The day didn't start well. It helped that I aggressively pursued birdies," said Ogiso, who marked his final day scorecard with five birdies and two bogeys.

"On the 18th hole, I discussed with my caddy that the approach wasn't particularly difficult. I made a really good approach, and I think this will probably go down as one of the most memorable shots of my career."

In addition to a lucrative winner's purse of ₩260 million (approximately ¥28 million), Ogiso also earned a two-year exemption on both tours.

When asked about utilising the two-year exemption on the KPGA Tour, he said: "I want to participate in the KPGA Tour as well. I've heard from Korean players that the KPGA Tour has grown significantly.

"Of course, I want to succeed in Japan, but I've always wanted to compete on overseas tours too. Now that I've earned the KPGA Tour card, I want to challenge myself on that stage as well."
 
Koshiro Maeda and Kazuki Higa ensured JGTO's dominance by closing strongly with rounds of 67 and 69, respectively, to be tied for third at 273. Taichi Nabetani, powered by a hole-in-one on the par-three third, finished joint fifth with a superb 66, sitting three shots back at eight-under overall.

Leading final round scores: 
270: Takashi Ogiso 67-69-66-68;
271: Jang Yu-bin (Kor) 67-72-67-65;
273: Koshiro Maeda 69-69-68-67, Kazuki Higa 67-71-66-69;
276: Richard T. Lee (Can) 67-72-71-66, Taichi Nabetani 69-71-70-66, Lee Sang-hee (Kor) 69-66-70-71;
277: Park Eun-shin (Kor) 67-69-74-67, Choi Seung-bin (Kor) 73-69-69-66, Ok Tae-hoon (Kor) 71-69-68-69,

Lee Dong-hwan (Kor) 69-67-71-70.