Gotemba (Japan), Nov 11 (IANS) India’s Jeev Milkha Singh dropped four shots in just two holes and slipped to 45th place as action ended at the Taiheiyo Masters men’s golf tournament Sunday.
Jeev carded a three-over 75 with two birdies, a bogey and a triple bogey for a total of one-over 289 for four days.
Overnight leader Brendan Jones of Australia landed an eagle on the final hole for a two-under-par 70 to claim the title. He finished one ahead of local favourite Toru Taniguchi of Japan, who birdied the final hole.
Jeev, playing his first event of the year in Japan, plans to tee-off in three more tournaments including the Casio World Open and JT Nippon Series, the two he won last year.
“I putted well on the last day, but that triple bogey on sixth followed by a bogey on the seventh spelt disaster for me,” said Jeev, who plays in the Dunlop Phoenix next week.
Starting the day with a two-shot lead, Jones and Taniguchi were tied at 12-under after the 17th hole.
Then Jones, who had six wins in Japan before this one, was on the green in two on the par-five 18th. He was about 30 feet from the pin but he holed out from the edge of the green for a brilliant eagle.
Taniguchi managed a birdie and was left one short.
Jones finished the day with an eagle, two birdies apart from two bogeys for a fourth-round total of 14-under-par 274. Taniguchi’s birdie on the final hole was his fifth for the round apart from a one bogey.
Adam Scott finished third on 277, followed by fellow Australians Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion, and Chris Campbell, both one stroke further back.
It was Jones’ second title of the season following his victory in the Tsuruya Open in April.