UBS JAPAN GOLF TOUR CH. RELATED STORIES UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship home page UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship Preview Round 1: Takemoto's 63 leads, with Lin tied second Round 2: Taniguchi and Minoza share halfway lead Round 3: Katayama leads - Minoza & Zhang in 6th Round 4: Katayama wins as Zhang finishes 7th Final Scores & Prize Money Ghei sees J-Tour Ch'ship as step to next level Ghei invited to Japan Tour Championship Zhang invited to UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship 2007 Japan Golf Tour schedule and results More about the Shishido Hills Country Club ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Ben Leong claims maiden victory PGA: Jeev and Wi tie for ninth Prom targets Thai win in Brunei Shin Ji-yai takes Women's British Open Asian Tour starts 2nd half on a high Norman to play 2009 Johnnie Walker Mission Hills to host AP Summit GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Last chance to impress at Gleneagles New FedExCup points method causing surprises Vijay Singh looking forward to Deutsche Bank Players surprised by LPGA "English" rule Ryder Cup race ends at Gleneagles Tiger Woods won't swing a club till 2009

 Event Preview

First played in 2000, the Japan Golf Tour Championship is title-sponsored by UBS for the second time this year.

When the UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship crowns its winner on Sunday, he will join a select group of champions, which includes Tatsuhiko Takahashi, Toshimitsu Izawa (twice), Nobuhito Sato and Korea's S K Ho, as holder one of Japanese golf’s most prestigious crowns, with a prize fund of ¥150 million, of which 30 million goes to the winner.

In addition, the tournament is owned by the Japan Golf Tour Organisation, the player body that administers men’s professional tournament golf in the country.

Considered the ‘Players’ Championship’ of Japan, the title is one of the most sought-after honours on the Japan Golf Tour, which is reflected in the strength of the player field every year. Last July, it was Tatsuhiko Takahashi who claimed an impressive second victory on home soil, posting a well-earned triumph at Shishido Hills Country Club.

With a final round of 68, Takahashi, who led the tournament after 54 holes, finished on a 72-hole total of seven-under 273. That provided a three-shot margin over Tetsuji Hiratsuka, with SK Ho and evergreen 51-year-old Tommy Nakajima another stroke adrift in third.

The tournament also has a special place for one of Japan’s most successful golfers, Toshimitsu Izawa, who won the first Japan Golf Tour Championship in 2000. He triumphed again in 2003 to be the only multiple winner in the tournament's history.

June 27, 2007