Chiba: For the second year in a row, evergreen Thai golfer Prayad Marksaeng has reigned supreme on the Japan Senior Tour.
With two events still remaining, the 51-year-old Thai was officially crowned the tour's No.1 after claiming his fourth title of the year at the ¥70 million Fujifilm Senior Championship 2017 at the par-72 Country Club Japan yesterday.
The Hua Hin native pocketed the ¥14 million (approximately four million baht) winner's cheque and boosted his total earnings to ¥68,954,791 (20 million baht) after 11 events this year.
His earnings in the on-going season have broken his previous record of ¥62,278,000 (18.1 million baht), which was set last year.
Tsuyoshi Yoneyama of Japan is a distant second with ¥35,419,200 from 15 tournaments.
Last year, Prayad also claimed the No.1 ranking after finishing tied second at the same tournament.
Starting the day one stroke off the pace, Prayad shot a bogey-free five-under 67 to finish the three-day event on 11-under 205, two strokes ahead of overnight leader Takeshi Sakiyama (70) of Japan.
Kiyoshi Murota (69) of Japan and American Gregory Meyer (71) shared third place on seven-under 209.
"I'm so happy. Last year I finished the season as No.1 and to be able to do it again this year is just phenomenal," said Prayad, who shot five birdies on the first, seventh, eighth, 15th and 18th holes yesterday.
Sakiyama, who suffered two bogeys on the front nine yesterday, admitted Prayad played better and deserved to lift the trophy in Chiba.
"Prayad didn't use driver at all and he played so well, creating so many birdie chances today," said Sakiyama, who added that two mistakes on the front nine leading to bogeys cost him the title.
"But overall he [Prayad] deserved to win today. He played well."
Prayad's three other titles this year came at the Sumaiida Cup Senior Golf Tournament in Tochigi in June, the Starts Senior Golf Tournament in Ibaraki a week later in the same month and the Japan Senior Open Golf Championship in Fukuoka in September.
The two remaining tournaments are the ISPS Handa Cup Philanthropy Senior Tournament in Saitama on Nov 17-19 and the Iwasaki Shiratsuyu Senior Golf Tournament in Kagoshima on Nov 24-26.
