Hiroshi Iwata knows when to play great golf.
After struggling for most of 2015, Iwata entered the final round three shots back of the leaders at the Shigeo Nagashima Sega Sammy Cup, but birdies on three of his first holes quickly erased that deficit. As the third round leaders struggled to keep up the pace, Iwata never looked back, firing a bogey free final round 66 to win the tournament by one stroke.
Iwata's win was a brilliant mix of power and precision. He ranked third in the field in driving distance and first in greens in regulation, hitting 17 of 18 greens on Sunday. While some of his pursuers made mistakes, Iwata never did.
That is not to say that Iwata ran away with this tournament. After posting a score of -16, Iwata had to sit in the clubhouse and wait to see if his score was good enough. Third round leaders Hyung-Sung Kim and JB Park avoided big mistakes, but were unable to make enough birdies. Both players shot a final round 71 and shared third place. 22 year old rookie Shugo Imahira, playing with Iwata and looking for his first win on Tour, birdied two of his final three holes for a final round 67 to fall one shot short of Iwata. Koumei Oda, the highest ranked player in the field who is preparing to play in the Open Championship in two weeks, finished at -11, tied for sixth with veteran Shingo Katayama.
This victory is the second for Hiroshi Iwata and the first in 2015. The win could not have come at a better time. Last season, Iwata shot up the world rankings after finishing T3 at the WGC-HSBC Champions in China. Entering 2015, Iwata was ranked 70th in the world, but after only notching one top 10 and missing three cuts in eleven events, Iwata has fallen just outside the top 100. This victory will not only bring him back inside the top 100 in the world, but also makes him the new money list leader on the Japan Tour. If he holds these positions, he will qualify for the PGA Championship. He also has a chance, all be it very slim, to qualify for the Open Championship if they are in need of alternates.