Delos Santos ties for 8th; Kim posts record win in Casio World Open

MANILA, Philippines — Justin delos Santos closed out with a 67 to tie for eighth in the Casio World Open ruled by American Chan Kim in record fashion in Kochi Prefecture in Japan Sunday.

Kim put to rest whatever hopes his rivals had for a wild finish as he broke away from a tight one-stroke lead with four frontside birdies then capped his four-day exploits with a stirring six-birdie binge at the back for a solid 10-under 62 and a 72-hole total of 32-under 256 at the Kochi Kuroship Country Club.

The previous best total in the Casio World Open was 24-under twice in 2001 (Kiyoshi Murota) and 2003 (Katsumune Imai).  

Kim beat local ace Akyuryu Iwasaki by six, spiking his big closing run with three straight birdies for the second straight day. Iwasaki, who pulled within one with a third round 63, failed to match Kim sizzling finish and settled for a 67 and a 262.

Delos Santos shot six birdies but failed to get up and down on the par-4 No. 6 for his lone black mark. He actually missed eight fairways but flashed good recovery shots and finished with 29 putts to post his fourth Top 10 finish in the season about to end. He wound up with a 19-under 269 total.

Juvic Pagunsan, meanwhile, finally hit his stride, firing a 68 to tie for 54th at 280.