Muscat, Oman: Takumi Kanaya secured a convincing victory in the US$2 million International Series Oman to record his first professional victory outside of Japan and suggest that the gifted young golfer is coming of age.

The 24-year-old from Hiroshima shot a final round one-under-par 71 to finish on 10-under and beat American Berry Henson (70) and Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana (72) by four strokes.

England’s Steve Lewton (71) finished fourth one shot further back while Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann from Chile, both in with 74s, tied for fifth another two strokes behind.

The stunning scenic coastline of Al Mouj Golf provided the perfect background for some brilliant front-running golf by Kanaya, already a three-time winner on home soil who has been striving to make his mark on the international stage.

He finally achieved that in Oman with an eye-catching performance in what was the second event of the season on the Asian Tour and first of the year’s International Series tournaments.

“It is an honour to win the event, an International Series tournament,” said Kanaya, after securing his first triumph since April 2021 when he won the Token Homemate Cup, on the Japan Tour.

“It has been a difficult two years but I am so happy to finally win again,” added Kanaya, winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) in 2018.

In Oman he took the lead on day two and was never caught, He began the final round with a one-shot advantage from compatriot Ryo Hisatsune. At the turn, thanks to a fine outward bogey-free three-under 33, he had opened up a five-shot gap from Hisatsune and appeared to be coasting.

However, he missed short putts on 12 and 13 to see his lead cut to three from playing-partner Sadom. 

Despite the wind starting to strengthen and threatening to play havoc with his push for victory, Kanaya then moved four ahead again when he birdied the 15th but dropped a stroke on the next to return to three in front. 

The contest was effectively settled when he made birdie on 16 before Sadom dropped a shot on 17 to give his Japanese opponent a five-shot lead playing the last.  

Kanaya, who could afford the luxury of missing a 10-foot par putt on 18, said: “Sadom got close, but I played within myself and was able to see it through.”

It is arguably the most important win of his career, which has already seen some significant highs.

He turned professional in 2020 after a glittering amateur career that saw him win the 2015 Japan Amateur, and the AAC and team gold medal at the Asian Games in 2018.

He also won the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in 2019 as an amateur and was ranked the world’s number one amateur for 55 weeks. In 2020 he was victorious in the Dunlop Phoenix tournament. 

This was only the third start by Kanaya as a professional in an Asian Tour event and his maiden appearance in an International Series tournament. It also marked the first time that an International Series event has been won by a player from Japan.

In addition, he’s the first Japanese to win an Asian Tour event outside of Japan since Tetsuji Hiratsuka claimed the Black Mountain Masters in 2010.

For Sadom it was yet another fine tournament which extended a phenomenal run that has seen him finish in the top-10 on 12 occasions in his last 20 events on the Asian Tour.

If not for costly double-bogeys on five and nine it could well have been a different story.

“I started pretty good with birdies on holes two, three and four, and then the wind came up,” said Sadom, who finished fourth in last week’s Saudi International.

“It was a different wind, different conditions, so I’m very happy to score even-par today. Takumi is good player, he deserves it. I’m very happy to finish tied second, so next week maybe will be better than this week.”

The Asian Tour stays in the Middle East this week and will stage the inaugural US$2.5 million International Series Qatar at Doha Golf Club (February 16-19).