Iwata launches title charge at Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup - Asian Tour

Iwata launches title charge at Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup


Saitama, Tokyo, September 21: Hiroshi Iwata of Japan battled to a two-under-par 69 in persistent rain to seize the halfway lead at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup on Friday.

The rainy conditions made it tricky for players on day two but Iwata stood firm as he led on eight-under-par 134 at the JP¥150 million (approximately US$1.35 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour Organization.

EurAsia Cup star Yuta Ikeda, who has won 19 titles in Japan, fired the second round’s low score of 66 to trail Iwata by one shot at the Musashi Country Club, Sasai course.

The big-hitting Kurt Kitayama of the United States grinded to a hard-fought 71 to sit in tied third place alongside Kenichi Kuboya (70) and Yuki Inamori (72) on 137s.

After dropping his first shot of the tournament on hole 14, former PGA Tour player Iwata bounced back superbly with three straight birdies to hold a narrow edge over a fast-charging Ikeda.

Currently placed 98th on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Ikeda lived up to his billing as the second highest ranked player in the elite field when he fired three birdies in each half against a single bogey.

Tour rookie Kitayama kept up his chase for a first Asian Tour victory after struggling off the tees where he found eight out of 14 fairways. He returned with four birdies against three bogeys to give himself a fight chance on the weekend.

A total of 66 players made the cut which was set at two-over-par 144.

Did you know?

  • Iwata has only dropped one shot in 36 holes. He dropped his only bogey on the 431-yard par-4 14th hole despite finding the fairway.
  • He has won twice on the JGTO in 2014 and 2015.
  • Iwata is a former PGA Tour player. He earned his 2016 PGA Tour card at the 2015 Web.com Tour finals.
  • Other than his victories, Iwata’s other career highlight was finishing tied third at the 2014 WGC-HSBC Champions in China.
  • Ikeda is the second highest ranked player at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup after Shugo Imahira, who is ranked 86th in the world.
  • He is one of the most prolific players in Japan. He has tasted victory on the JGTO every single year since 2009.
  • Ikeda was one of the star performers for Team Asia against Team Europe in the biennial EurAsia Cup. Despite Team Asia’s defeat, Ikeda was unbeaten and helped his team secure three points.
  • He is currently ranked 40th on the Asian Tour’s Habitat for Humanity Standings.
  • Kitayama is playing in his first year on the Asian Tour after finishing third at Qualifying School. This is his first competitive tournament in Japan.
  • He is one of the most consistent players on the Asian Tour where he has yet to miss a single cut in nine appearances and is ranked 28th on the Habitat for Humanity Standings.
  • His parents are of Japanese heritage but Kitayama does not speak the language. He occasionally visit his family in Japan.

Player quotes:

Hiroshi Iwata (Jpn) – Second Round 69 (-2), Total 134 (-8)

Obviously my round wasn’t as good as yesterday because my iron and putter were not as sharp as it should be. On the positive note, my tee shot was better.

My bogey on 14 was very disappointing because I was on the fairway but I was able to recover with three straight birdies and that’s very satisfying and good for me. I didn’t really think about the bogey or didn’t get irritated by it so that’s good.

It was raining the whole day but it wasn’t too bad. It only got worst towards the end. I have extra motivation to play here because if you win, I can play in more tournaments outside of Japan. However, it is only the second day and I don’t want to think too much. I just have to prepare and keep improving.

Yuta Ikeda (Jpn) – Second Round 66 (-5), Total 135 (-7)

It was a very good day because I kept hitting fairways. Even in such difficult conditions, I’m able to give myself a lot of birdie opportunities so I’m very happy. The best birdie has to be on the third hole because it led to five other birdies. I only made a mistake on hole number nine but I stayed calm. Obviously I’m thinking of winning because I’m hoping to win in every tournament I play in.

Kurt Kitayama (Usa) – Second Round 70 (-1), Total 137 (-5)

It was an up-and-down round because of the rain and I grinded it out to a one-under. My scrambling really helped especially on my last few holes where I made important up-and-downs. That gives me some momentum heading into tomorrow. It was really tough out there.

I need to drive better. I didn’t hit it very well and missed a few fairways which made it really tough. I need to focus more tomorrow. I’ve got the length off the tees so that helps if I can find the fairways because I can get a wedge in. But if I’m in the rough, it is very difficult. Maybe I won’t hit the driver on every hole but try to find more fairways.

Scores after round 2 of the Asia-Pacific Open Golf Championship Diamond Cup being played at the par 71, 7060 Yards Musashi GC course (am – denotes amateur):

134 – Hiroshi IWATA (JPN) 65-69.

135 – Yuta IKEDA (JPN) 69-66.

137 – Yuki INAMORI (JPN) 65-72, Kenichi KUBOYA (JPN) 67-70, Kurt KITAYAMA (USA) 67-70.

138 – Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) 67-71, Daijiro IZUMIDA (JPN) 63-75, Yikeun CHANG (KOR) 70-68.

139 – Adilson DA SILVA (BRA) 69-70, Danthai BOONMA (THA) 65-74, Gaganjeet BHULLAR (IND) 67-72, Kazuhiro YAMASHITA (JPN) 67-72, Shaun NORRIS (RSA) 70-69, Rikuya HOSHINO (JPN) 69-70, Shugo IMAHIRA (JPN) 68-71, Prayad MARKSAENG (THA) 66-73, Sanghyun PARK (KOR) 68-71, Ryosuke KINOSHITA (JPN) 69-70.

140 – Tomoyo IKEMURA (JPN) 68-72, Tomoharu OTSUKI (JPN) 72-68, Junggon HWANG (KOR) 70-70, Kazuki HIGA (JPN) 71-69.

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