Taihei Sato broke into the winner’s circle for the first time by winning the inaugural Fortinet Players Cup by two shots on Sunday.
The 32-year-old fended off a stiff challenge from a stacked field by closing with a four-under-par 67 at Narita Hills Country Club.
Related: Taihei Sato closer to JGTO breakthrough
His winning total of 20-under-par 264 saw him finish atop the leaderboard ahead of Taiki Yoshida, who signed off with a 66 to settle for outright second place.
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Kota Kaneko and Yuwa Kosaihira were tied for third after closing with matching 67s.
Sato started the final round with a three-shot cushion and quickly extended his advantage with a pair of birdies on the opening first and second holes.
He dropped a shot on the third but responded with another birdie on the fourth. He birdied the sixth hole but bogeyed seven before recovering swiftly again with another birdie on nine.
Sato picked up further gains on 12 and 17, which had put him in prime position for victory despite bogeying his closing hole on 18.
When asked how special his win was, Sato said: “I used to wonder when my first win would come, or if it ever would. So to finally achieve it now makes me really happy.
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“It feels special to be the inaugural winner. Your name stays in history,” But I don’t want to stop here. I want to build on this and go for my second and third victories.”
Sato’s bold play on the 17th hole proved decisive.
“I knew that if I could make birdie there, I would have a three-shot lead,” he said.
“I didn’t try to bail out to the right. I went straight for it. It ended up a bit more left than I wanted, but I was aiming for birdie, and I’m glad I pulled it off. That was the moment I knew I had it.”
Awaiting him greenside on 18 were his family and friends, ready with a celebratory water shower. “I always wanted to experience that,” he laughed. “It felt amazing to be congratulated like that by everyone.
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Reflecting on his journey, Sato said his decade-long professional career — which included time playing on the China Tour — helped shape his resilience.
“There were times I wondered if I could really win, but I kept believing in myself. This week, it wasn’t about maybe It was I will win.’”
