Dean Wilson took full advantage of his eight-shot lead at the start of the final round Sunday, coasting to a four-stroke victory in the Japan PGA Championship for his first major title on the Japanese tour.
Wilson had a final-round 74 on his way to a 3-under-par 281 total at the par-71 Queen's Hill Golf Club in Fukuoka Prefecture to become only the sixth foreign winner in the tournament's 76-year history.
The reward for the 31-year-old Hawaii native, whose only previous victory came in the Aiful Cup in July last year, is a five-year exemption in addition to the 22 million yen winner's check that lifted him to third place in this year's money list.
Wilson said the five-year exemption on the Japanese tour will help him take another shot at obtaining a U.S. PGA Tour card -- probably this year -- after coming up short seven times in the past.