Home Favorite Wins On Just His Fifth DP World Tour Start As Runner-Up All But Secures Major Championship Spot
A course-record-equalling 63 on Sunday helped the 25-year-old to a three-shot victory and seal his place as the sixth different Japanese winner on the DP World Tour
Yuto Katsuragawa continued Japan's recent purple patch on the DP World Tour following a three-shot victory at the ISPS Handa Championship at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course.
Katsuragawa followed on from Keita Nakajima's win at the most recent European Tour event - the Hero Indian Open - while Rikuya Hoshino lifted the Qatar Masters trophy back in February.
Prior to those, Ryo Hisatsune won last season's Open de France to become the third Japanese man ever to lift a DP World Tour trophy. Isao Aoki was the first in 1983 at the European Open, and Hideki Matsuyama broke a 33-year streak at the 2016 WGC-HSBC Champions.
Katsuragawa sealed his placed in history as just the sixth Japanese winner ever on the European Tour after a course-record-equalling 63 on Sunday. And that stunning fourth-round effort helped him pick up a first DP World Tour victory on just his fifth start.
As a result, he is now set to take up full DP World Tour membership and - like many of his peers - has long-term aspirations of making it onto the PGA Tour one day.
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He said: "I have been practising a lot to stand on the big stage. I can now go on the DP World Tour which is really great and I'm really happy with it. I'm aiming to become a member of the PGA Tour in the future.
"I was very nervous on the back nine, my hands were shaking but I trusted myself and I managed to bring my golf.
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"This course is beside Mount Fuji and very beautiful but it is a challenging course and I'm happy to win at a challenging course like this."
Katsuragawa actually began the day three shots off the lead but poured almost all of his putts in to rise to the summit at the base of Mount Fuji while the leading group gradually fell away.
Only Sweden's Sebastian Soderberg could stay in touch as the holes began to run out, but in the end his Japanese rival proved to be too strong.
The final standings from the @isps_champ_jp 📊#ISPSHandaChampionshipApril 28, 2024
While a runner-up finish would have been mildly disappointing to Soderberg, the 33-year-old's excellent play of late has moved him to the top of the Asian Swing Rankings.
If he manages to remain there after next week's Volvo China Open, he will not only earn a $200,000 bonus and guarantee his place at the Scottish Open later in the season, but finishing in the top-three places would ensure an exemption into the upcoming PGA Championship at Valhalla.
Soderberg has only competed in one previous Major championship, and that came at the 2022 US Open as he finished in a tie for 53rd.
Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and is hoping to reach his Handicap goal of 18 at some stage. He attended both the 150th and 151st Open Championships and dreams of attending The Masters one day.
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