Hidemichi Tanaka recovered from a double bogey on the first hole Sunday to forge a blistering 6-under-par 66 and come from five shots down to win the Tsuruya Open golf tournament.
Tanaka, the runnerup here last year, torched the Sports Shinko Country Club's 6,847-yard layout with seven birdies -- five straight from No. 6 -- and an eagle to claim the ninth title of his 10-year career.
Tanaka's total of 14-under 274 edged overnight leader Masayuki Kawamura by two strokes.
"I was really angry with myself after messing up the first hole but I knew I had to recover quickly," said Tanaka, whose comeback victory made up for the disappointment of losing out in a playoff to Australia's Richard Backwell in the 2000 tournament.
"I thought it would be a bit soft of me to give up after a start like that," added Tanaka, who pocketed the winner's check of 20 million yen.
Higo gets hot
KIKUYO, Kumamoto Pref. (Kyodo) Kaori Higo was the only player to break 70 Sunday as the Kyushu native fired a 3-under-par 69 to come from two strokes back and win the 60 million yen Saishunkan Ladies golf tournament.
Higo, from nearby Kagoshima Prefecture, nailed four birdies, including a chip-in from off the green on No. 11, against a single bogey for a 54-hole total of even-par 216, three strokes better than South Korea's Kim Ae Sook, at Kumamoto Airport Country Club.