Pagunsan 19th in JPGA Tour

MANILA, Philippines — Juvic Pagunsan closed out with a one-over 71 yesterday and wound up tied for 19th in the Taiheiyo Masters in Shizuoka in his return to the Japan PGA Tour after the pandemic.

The smooth-swinging former Asian Tour No. 1 checked a woeful round of two bogeys and a double bogey by ramming in three straight birdies from No. 15. But he missed completing a big finish with a flubbed birdie putt on the par-5 18th, which he eagled in the first round and birdied in the next two.

That 38-33 windup at the par-70 Taiheiyo Club Gotemba course gave him a four-day total of 282 for a share of 19th with five others. He pocketed Y1.464 million (roughly P670,000).

Jinichiro Kozuma won the event on a 271 total after a second straight 68, edging erstwhile co-leader Ryosuke Kinoshita (70-273) by one.

Over in Chiba, Ayaka Furue matched Yuka Saso and Korean Shin Jie’s two victories in the LPGA of Japan Tour, closing out with a 70 for a 12-under 204 then nipping Miki Sakai on the third playoff hole to snare the crown in a follow-up to her victory in Tokai Classic last Sept.

Saso, who scored back-to-back victories at NEC Karuizawa and Nitori Ladies last August, failed to advance for the second time in her last three tournaments with 76-70 rounds, falling short of the cutoff score by two.