Azuma Yano of Team PRGR finished first at the ANA Open for his first win of the season. It was first victory in three years since winning the Asahi Ryokuken Yomiuri Memorial in 2005 and his second tour victory, overall.

The tournament was held over four days from Thursday, Sept. 18 to Sunday, Sept. 21 on the Wattsu course (7,063 yards, par 72) of the Sapporo Golf Club in Hokkaido. Yano achieved scores in the 60s for the first three days of the tournament. He used steady shots and solid putting from the first day to post a 68, 68, and 69. He entered the last day of the tournament in first place at 11 under with a three-shot cushion.

The previous day Yano stated, "I've started using the PRGR Silver Blade (SB-03CS) putter this week and my putts have finally started to fall. The putter has a great feel and has given me a lot of confidence in my short putts. Now, I feel like being up by three strokes is an advantage."

During the second half of the tour, Yano has been involved in some close shootouts where he's been chasing the lead. He entered the last day at KBC Augusta tournament two strokes back, and was three strokes back entering the last day of the Fujisankei Classic. In both tournaments, he wasn't able to capture the top spot. Yano started the last day of this tournament with some confident words. "I'm the one being chased this time, which I'm sure is a positive advantage. With the way I'm feeling now, I feel like I can win as long as I play my regular game over 18 holes."

Just as he stated, even though he reached the green on the 2nd hole with only one shot to spare for par and ended up with a bogey, he reached the green on the par 5 5th hole in two shots, and was able to get the shot back with a birdie after just missing an eagle. At the 7th hole, he used an excellent 10-metre putt to send home a birdie, and birdied the par 5 9th hole after just missing an eagle to hold on to the top spot.

On the holes 14 and 15 of the crucial Sunday back nine, Yano earned birdies on both and continued to break away from the pack with stellar play. He finished the round with five birdies and one bogey for a 68 and finished the tournament at 15 under. The 4 stroke runaway victory was his first of the season, his first on the tour in three years, and his second overall tour victory.

Yano, who is looking forward to going for another win next week, had the following to say. "At the beginning of the round, I was one shot from losing the lead. Like the previous day, though, I was satisfied with my shots and putts, so I didn't get panicked about it. I had confidence both mentally and in my equipment, so I was able to stay calm under pressure. Winning by a comfortable margin kind of inflates my confidence a bit, so I definitely want to ride that wave to another victory next week."

From the driver to the putter, all 14 of Yano's clubs are PRGR clubs. And from this season, he has started using the TR SPIN ball. It looks like we might again see Yano throw his winning ball into the gallery on the 18th hole.