While it was his sixth Japan Tour title, he had yet to taste success on the Asian Tour until Sunday, and it was a close-run thing.

Imahira prevailed by one shot on eight-under for the tournament thanks to a rock-solid finish of pars down the closing stretch, while his rivals were dropping shots.

He closed with a two-under 68 with his compatriots Kosuke Suzuki, an amateur, Hiroshi Iwata, Kaito Onishi, and Yuto Katsuragawa all in T-2.

Suzuki came charging out of the pack with a 63 — thanks to a brilliant back nine of five-under-par 30 -— Iwata shot 68, while Onishi, who chipped in for birdie on 18, and Katsuragawa both carded 70s.

Imahira’s win also earned him a place in the field for The Open at St Andrews in July -— an event he has played in twice before.

The 29-year-old started the day one behind overnight leaders Onishi, Katsuragawa, Japan’s Ryuko Tokimatsu and New Zealander Ben Campbell but finished first helped by a brave back nine made up of eight pars and a birdie, on the par-five 15th.

It was a different story for Iwata, Onishi and Katsuragawa on the homeward nine as they dropped shots at critical moments. Onishi and Katsuragawa, in particular, both made double-bogeys, on 13 and 15 respectively, while the latter made a costly bogey on 17 which opened the door for Imahira.

Suzuki, just 21 years old, was the only other player who got to grips with the back nine — he made three birdies in a row from the 11th and an eagle on 15 — but having started the day seven off the lead the gap proved too big to close.

“I am really happy with this victory. I haven’t really performed well this year, so I’m glad I am able to win early,” said Imahira, who won the JGTO money list title in 2018 and 2019 and whose last victory was the 2021 Fujisankei Classic.

“The Open was my goal at the start of this season. My 172 world ranking isn’t good enough to get me into overseas events, so getting into The Open by winning this week is amazing. The goal was to be a major player rather than a prize winner.”

The post Shugo Imahira claims first Asian Tour title at Asia Pacific Open Championship on home turf in Japan appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Major winners Francesco Molinari and Padraig Harrington have withdrawn from next week’s PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park.

Harrington, who lives in Dublin, Ireland, is dropping out due to COVID-19 concerns, believing travelling to the United States proved too much a threat.

“As COVID-19 currently looks to be under control in Ireland, I am taking the prudent approach by following the guidelines and reducing the risk as much as possible by staying at home,” he said in a statement. Harrington is three-time major winner, which includes a victory at the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

Molinari, who captured the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie, has not made a public statement about his decision not to play. The Italian, ranked No. 33 in the world, recently moved from London to California and has not played on any tour since February’s WGC-Mexico Championship.

The duo joins Lee Westwood, Eddie Pepperell, Shugo Imahira and Thomas Pieters as players who have opted out of the San Francisco proceedings, although the field remains strong with 95 of the top 100 suited to compete.

Molinari and Harrington will be replaced in the field by Taylor Gooch and Troy Merritt.

The post PGA Championship 2020: Pair of major winners to skip TPC Harding Park appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Shugo Imahira will hope to emulate another star of Asian golf when he makes his European Tour debut at Emirates Golf Club later this month.

The 27-year old Japanese professional has been unveiled among the latest batch of names set to tee it up at the 31st Omega Dubai Desert Classic, joining Norwegian star Viktor Hovland and former U.S. Masters champion Charl Schwartzel for the Jan. 23-26 event.

Haotong Li became the Desert Classic’s first Asian champion in 2018, announcing himself to the wider golfing world when he outplayed Rory McIlroy down the stretch on the Majlis to claim his second European Tour title.

Li’s previous title had been at his native Volvo China Open in 2016. Like the Chinese star then, Imahira is similarly little known outside of Japan despite climbing to as high as 31st in the world rankings on the back of four wins in the last two seasons, including two in the last three months.

“I’m excited to be coming to Dubai for the first time to make my European Tour debut,” said Imahira, who won the Japan Golf Tour money List in 2018.

“I have not played much outside of Japan, so this is a great opportunity to see how my game shapes up next to some of the world’s best players. I have also heard amazing things about this event and Dubai as a destination, so I cannot wait to experience everything later this month.”

Charl Schwartzel (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Schwartzel is looking to build some momentum after an injury-hit 2019. After struggling with a wrist injury for much of the last year, the 2011 Masters champion will look to add to South Africa’s rich heritage n the Majlis by emulating Ernie Els and Wayne Westner as Desert Classic champions and sealing what would be a 12th European Tour title to his CV. 

Hovland, meanwhile, will tee it up in Dubai after also being confirmed for the Desert Swing opener in Abu Dhabi alongside PGA Tour start Patrick Cantlay.

The 22-year old Norwegian’s aggressive approach, which yielded a record-breaking run of scoring on the US PGA Tour last year, is one of golf’s hottest prospects.

“I’ve spent the last few years playing mostly in America, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to come to Dubai,” said Hovland who shot 19 straight rounds in the 60s from June to October, posting a highest finish of fourth at the Wyndham Championship during that run.

“One of the great things since turning professional has been playing so many events and courses that I have watched growing up as a kid and the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic is no different. There have been so many iconic moments there and I can’t think of a better place to kickstart 2020 than at Emirates GC in a couple of weeks.”

Viktor Hovland (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

This year’s OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic boasts a stronger field than 12 months ago thanks to the return of defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, alongside former winners Thomas Bjørn, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Sergio Garcia, Li, Henrik Stenson and Danny Willett. Multiple European Tour winners Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood, plus European Ryder Cup Captain Padraig Harrington, are also confirmed starters.

To book daily, season or Terrace Hospitality tickets, with prices starting from AED75, visit the official Omega Dubai Desert Classic website.

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