18-year-old Kokona Sakurai created yet another record on Sunday at the Japan Taiwan Friendship Udon-Ken Ladies Golf Tournament. She strung together two eagles and three birdies on the final six holes to walk away with her fifth victory on the tour this year. No player had ever picked up more than four wins in a single “JSU” Tour season.

Taiwan’s Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆), who started the day in the lead with Kokona Sakurai and Yukari Nishiyama, wrapped up the tournament in a tie for fourth at 9-under par after her Sunday 71.

The JPY20,000,000 event is co-sanctioned by the Step-Up Tour and the Taiwan LPGA Tour. Sakurai’s victory is worth JPY3,600,000.

Sakurai arrived at the turn today tying with Nishiyama, and holding a mere one-stroke lead over Ririna Staiano. However, the teen star went out all guns blazing in the inward nine. She made three birdies between no.11 to 14, and ran away with an eagle on the 15th hole as she basically sealed the victory already.

Sakurai continued to push for records and finally closed the round with a birdie on the 16th and another eagle on the 18th. She completed the back nine at the Mannou Hills Country Club with an impressive 28, claiming the dominant win by seven shots with a 54-hole total of 17-under 199.

Phoebe Yao, who started the day with a bogey, finished the round with four birdies and three bogeys and saw herself wrap it up in equal fourth alongside Naruha Miyata and Hana Wakimoto. This is the fourth time in this “JSU” Tour season Yao has made it in the top 8, which is expected to push her one place up to no.8 on the 2022 Step-Up Tour money leaderboard.

The co-sanctioned event by the TLPGA Tour was staged for the first time in 2017, but went through a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and resumed to action this year. The event is organized by the JSU Tour. OHK Okayama Broadcasting is the co-organizer.

Three of the seven TLPGA members competing this week survived the Saturday cut. Taiwanese Kiwi Juliana Hung (洪玉霖) shot a final-round 75 to finish in a tie for 25th, while Chen I-Wen (陳依妏) finished in a tie for 35th.