The evergreen Prayad Marksaeng fired a sizzling final-round 63 to win his fifth Japan Tour title at the Fukushima Open in Japan yesterday.
Trailing the leader by two shots after three rounds, the 49-year-old Prayad shot a flawless round of 63 with nine birdies at the par-72 Grandee Nasushirakawa Golf Club in Fukushima. He went on to win the title with an impressive 24-under 264 total.
Song Young-Han of South Korea finished in second place, one shot off the pace, after shooting a six-under 66 yesterday.
Home hope Yusaku Miyazato (66) and Jang Dong-Kyu (67) were tied for third on 20-under 268.
In 2008, Prayad won three titles — the Dunlope Phoenix, the Mizuno Open and the Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf. He was then crowned the 2013 Thailand Open champion at Thana City Golf Club, an event co-sanctioned by both the Japan Tour and the OneAsia Tour.
For his win yesterday, the Thai took home 10 million yen (US$80,780) while Song received five million yen ($40,390).
Prayad, the oldest golfer on the Japan Tour, moved up to 17th on the money list after 11 events and received a two-year exemption on the tour.
The Hua Hin native, who has not lost his Japan Tour card since 2002, also earned a place at the lucrative Japan Series tournament in December.
His next Japan Tour event will be the RIZAP KBC Augusta in Keya Golf Club in Fukuoka on Aug 27-30.
Earlier this year, Prayad was victorious at the Singha Pattaya Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour and then won the Queen's Cup on the Asean Tour in Samui last month.
World No.15 and local hopeful Hideki Matsuyama shot a final 64 to share ninth on 270 with the Tour's money leader Kim Kyung-Tae (69).
Another Thai player Namchok Tantipokhakul finished tied for 46th on 278 following his final-round 70.
Apart from Prayad and Namchok, the other two Thais on the Japan Tour this year are Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Thanyakorn Khrongpha.
