Share

Donald breaks his title duck

Miyazaki - Luke Donald, the 2011 European and US tour money leader, clinched his first win of the year by defending his title at the Japan tour's $2m Dunlop Phoenix tournament Sunday.

Going out with an overnight two-stroke lead over South Korea's Kim Hyung-Sung, the 35-year-old Englishman rolled in seven birdies against a pair of bogeys in the final round to win the $400 000 purse with a total of 14-under-par 270.

Kim finished six strokes off the pace at 276, with Japan's Shingo Katayama third at 277 after four rounds on the 7 027-yard, par-71 Phoenix Country Club course.

"I'm very excited. My last win as a professional was last year at the Dunlop," Donald said. "It's great to come here and win again. This is a great tournament with some great winners and I'm very proud to have won it back-to-back now."

He was the first player to win the Dunlop, one of Japan's richest tournaments, for two straight years since American superstar Tiger Woods triumphed in 2004 and 2005.

Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Shunsuke Sonoda of Japan tied for fourth at 280.

Japan tour money leader Hideki Matsuyama was bunched one stroke further back with Australian Brad Kennedy and South Korea's Lee Kyoung-Hoon.

With two tournaments remaining in this year's Japan tour calendar, 21-year-old rookie pro Matsuyama leads the money list with 161 million yen ($1.6m), followed by Kim at 118 million yen and Katayama at 108 million yen.

Leading final scores on Sunday in the $2 million Japan Tour Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Miyazaki (Japan unless noted, par 71):

270 - Luke Donald (GBR) 73-66-65-66

276 - Kim Hyung-Sung (KOR) 69-70-67-70

277 - Shingo Katayama 69-74-69-65

280 - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 73-69-71-67, Shunsuke Sonoda 70-73-68-69

281 - Lee Kyoung-Hoon (KOR) 73-70-72-66, Hideki Matsuyama 71-71-69-70, Brad Kennedy (AUS) 71-72-67-71

282 - Han Lee (USA) 75-67-68-72

283 - Yoshinori Fujimoto 74-70-73-66, Yoshinobu Tsukada 68-71-75-69, Kim Kyung-Tae (KOR) 72-71-70-70, Hiroshi Iwata 73-69-68-73


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE