Miho Koga took advantage of a late collapse by overnight leader Yuri Fudo to register a two-shot victory at the season-ending Japan LPGA Tour Championship on Sunday.
Stephen Ames, right, battles Fred Couples with a hockey stick on the ninth hole during the Skins Game on Saturday in Indian Wells, Calif. Couples enters the final day of the event in the lead. AP PHOTOKoga teed off trailing Fudo by five strokes but the 25-year-old fired a flawless 67 and claimed her second title of the season after playing partner Fudo struggled to a 2-over 74 at Miyazaki Country Club.
Buoyed by a sizzling 66 on Saturday, Koga started to close the gap with three birdies in a row from the second hole while six-time money title winner Fudo faltered with bogeys either side of a birdie on the fourth.
"Because my playing partner was Fudo-san the five-stroke deficit at the start felt more like 10 strokes," said Koga, who claimed her seventh career title with a 13-under 275 total.
"But I was able to improve my score in the first half of my round and that's when I thought maybe I would be able to go all the way."
Momoko Ueda, who became the youngest money title winner on the JLPGA tour after winning her fifth title of the year at last week's Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open, carded a 72 and finished fifth on 285.