Overnight leader Prayad Marksaeng of Thailand shot an even-par 71 to seal the Dunlop Phoenix title yesterday, finishing one shot clear of Japan’s teenage sensation Ryo Ishikawa.
Starting the day with a two-stroke lead, Prayad hit a double bogey on the 11th hole at the Phoneix Country Club, but he also sunk five birdies to finish the tournament with a four-round total of eight-under-par 276.
Seventeen-year-old Ishikawa finished in the runners-up spot on 277, followed by Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano of Spain, Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama and Hiroyuki Fujita, all on 278.
It is Prayad’s third title on the Japan Tour, following victories at the Diamond Cup in May and the Mizuno Open in June, and he picked up the winner’s check of ¥40 million (US$420,000).
Defending champion Ian Poulter of England hit a 69 to share eighth place with American Brandt Snedeker and four other Japanese golfers, while pre-tournament favorite Ernie Els of South Africa finished in a tie for 15th place with a score of 283.
■ VIETNAM MASTERS
AFP, HANOI
Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat won the Mercedes-Benz Masters Vietnam yesterday after a storming six-under-par back nine featuring back-to-back eagles.
The 27-year-old, who carded a course record-equalling seven-under-par 65, beat compatriot Pavit Tangkamolprasert by one stroke at Hanoi’s Van Tri Golf Club.
Thailand’s Kwanchai Tannin and Pravee Visalkit, who started the day sharing the lead, finished third and fourth respectively in the US$50,000 tournament.
Wisut, who also won the Mercedes-Benz Masters Philippines in May, teed off five shots behind the leaders and even at the turn he did not feature on the leaderboard.
However, he catapulted himself into first place with eagles on 10 and 11 and birdies on 13 and 15.
He heads home to compete in this week’s Mercedes-Benz Masters Thailand, the final event of the season on the Mercedes-Benz Tour.
■ ADT CHAMPIONSHIP
AFP, WEST PALM BEACH, Florida
Suzann Pettersen topped the leaderboard heading into the final round of the season-ending USLPGA’s ADT Championship.
Pettersen led the way as eight players qualified for yesterday’s final round of the event that features a first prize of US$1 million. Scores will be reset and yesterday was expected to be a mad dash for the big prize.
Pettersen fired a four-under-par 68 despite a triple-bogey on the par-four fourth hole.
She carded seven of her eight birdies after the miscue at the fourth and wrapped up a spot in yesterday’s final round with four straight birdies starting at No. 13.
Looking for her first win of the season, Pettersen had just two birdies in her first two rounds combined at Trump International Golf Club.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB