Kanaya denies Ishikawa with playoff triumph at ANA Open Golf Tournament

Takumi Kanaya held his nerve to edge out Ryo Ishikawa on the second playoff hole and capture his eighth JGTO title at the ANA Open on Sunday.
 
The reigning JGTO money ranking champion began the final round two shots back of leader Tomoharu Otsuki and got off to a rocky start with a bogey on the second hole. 
 
But the 27-year-old quickly recovered, rattling off four successive birdies from the third at Sapporo Golf Club Wattsu Course.
 
Although he dropped another shot on the eighth, Kanaya responded with a birdie at the ninth to make the turn in 35. He added further birdies on 12 and 17 to sign for a three-under-par 69, forcing extra holes with Ishikawa with his four-day total of 17-under-par 271.
 
“On the second hole I ran into some trouble, so it wasn’t the best start,” Kanaya admitted. “But I was able to reset my mind and play well from the third hole. Even after making a double bogey, I stayed patient. From around the 14th hole onwards, I made some really good par putts and saves, and I think that’s what ultimately led to the win.”
 
Kanaya credited his composure in part to his local course caddie.
 
“This week my caddie was a local course caddie, and he always kept me steady, whether I played a good shot or a bad one. He encouraged me to stay positive. Managing my emotions has often been a challenge for me, so this week was a big learning experience.”
 
In the playoff, Kanaya and Ishikawa traded pars on the first extra hole, before Kanaya prevailed with a steady par on the second while Ishikawa faltered. The champion was quick to pay tribute to Ishikawa.
 
“Ryo-san was playing a fantastic game. On the first playoff hole I thought his birdie putt was going to drop, and the outcome really came down to the smallest of margins.
 
“I’m sure he’ll have more chances to win, and I hope he keeps going strong,” said Kanaya.
 
Leading fourth round scores
*All Japanese unless indicated otherwise
 
271 – Takumi Kanaya 68-65-69-69, Ryo Ishikawa 69-67-67
*Kanaya defeated Ishikawa with a par on the second playoff hole
Tomoharu Otsuki 68-66-66
272 – Song Young-han (Kor) 72-67-64-69
274 – Tomoharu Otsuki 68-66-66-74
275 – Taiki Yoshida 70-69-69-67, Taisei Shimizu 65-75-67-68, Taiga Semikawa 71-68-66-70, Yuki Inamori 68-70-66-71, Takashi Ogiso 69-69-66-71
 
Ends.