Naoyuki Kataoka will tee up for his major debut next year after battling his way to a playoff victory over Satoshi Hara at the Japan Open on Sunday.
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The 27-year-old won his second JGTO title with a par on the first playoff hole over Hara after the pair finished regulation play on three-under-par 277. They had each carded matching two-under-par 68s in the final round at the Nikko Club.
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Following the recent announcement from Augusta National and the R&A that winners of national opens will now receive invitations to the Masters and Open Championship, an emotional Kataoka could not contain his joy as he stood victorious on the 18th green.
“It’s really a dream come true for me. I’m really happy to be able to play in the Masters and The Open. I’ll work as hard as I can, prepare by April, and do my best to be able to compete.
“I felt a really strong sense of accomplishment as I finally won again after enduring so many near misses during those barren four years,” said Kataoka, whose last win came in 2021 at the Japan Players Championship By Sato Shokuhin.
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Starting his final round seven shots off the lead, Kataoka started his fightback with an opening birdie. He dropped a shot on the second but recovered well with a pair of birdies on holes six and seven.
He bogeyed the ninth hole before reaching the turn in 34. After three straight pars from the 10th, Kataoka got another birdie again on 13 before reaching home with five straight pars.
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Kataoka would have sealed his victory earlier, but Hara birdied his closing 18 to extend the contest to extra time. A confident Kataoka then executed his iron play to perfection on the hole that mattered most to emerge triumphant.
“I was really confident that I would be able to hit it right. It was a pretty difficult lie. The ball was a little against the grain, and the rough was long, so I really didn’t think it would get that close. I was just thinking that if I could get par within about one pin, I might have a chance. I hit that shot really well, and it went really well after that,” said Kataoka.
