Yuto Katsuragawa sealed his first career triumph on the DP World Tour thanks to a three-shot victory at the ISPS Handa Championship.
The 25-year-old Japanese golfer, ranked 434 in the world, came into the final round at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course three shots off the lead and seemed unlikely that he would make a charge for the top but the local favorite found himself tied for the lead around the turn after leaders slipped up and he took advantage with two holes on the front nine.
Katsuragawa went onto close with a 63 to end the tournament at the top of the leaderboard on 17 under to continue the trend of Japanese golfers making history on the DP World Tour.
Katsuragawa’s victory meant that it is successive wins for Japanese players on the regular DP World Tour for the first time following Keita Nakajima’s victory at the Hero Indian Open in March.
“I have been practising a lot to stand on the big stage,” he said. “I can now go on the DP World Tour which is really great and I’m really happy with it. I’m aiming to become a member of the PGA Tour in the future.”
He added: “I was very nervous on the back nine, my hands were shaking but I trusted myself and I managed to bring my golf.
“This course is beside Mount Fuji and very beautiful but it is a challenging course and I’m happy to win at a challenging course like this.”
Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg carded a 67 to finish on 14 under while South Africa’s Christiaan Bezuidenhout came in third on 12 under.
The next event on the DP World Tour schedule is Volva China Open taking place between 2-5 May ay Hidden Grace Golf Club.