The final event of the Japan Tour season, the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, is played this week at its long time home, the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club in the suburbs of Tokyo. The tournament will bring to an end the twenty five event domestic schedule in Japan following which Hiroyuki Fujita will be crowned the money list winner for the first time. Fujita has an unassailable lead over the current second place player on the money list, Toru Taniguchi. Interestingly enough it is those two who fought out a playoff for this particular title last year. Fujita has been the winner of the event in each of the past two years although surprisingly this title is not amongst the 19 Japan Tour victories Taniguchi has to his credit Australian Brendan Jones is currently third on the money list with earnings of just over $A1 million and a win this week would move him into second position which would be his best ever season in terms of money list position. A runner-up finish on the money list would earn Jones the right to play the Open Championship again in 2013 and a start at the WGC Cadillac Championship in Florida in March. Jones has played this event well in recent years winning in 2007, finishing runner-up in 2008, 4th in 2009 and 3rd in 2010. Jones did not play last week s Casio World Open, preferring instead to spend time with his family in Canberra but he is in this week s field. Brad Kennedy is the only other Australian to tee it up this week.
Author: Bruce Young / iseekgolf.com