TOKYO: Japan’s Yuta Ikeda won the Panasonic Open by three strokes Sunday after shooting a brilliant six-under-par 65 in the final round.

The 30-year-old made the turn in just 29 and closed with his sixth birdie of the day to capture his 15th career title with a winning total of 13-under 271 at the $1.25 million event sanctioned by the Japanese and Asian tours.

Asian Tour money leader Marcus Fraser finished in a tie for second with South Korean K.T. Kim after both fired rounds of 68.

Local favorite Ikeda, born a stone’s thrown from the Chiba Country Club, southeast of Tokyo, began the day two behind overnight leader Shiv Kapur of India.

But a flurry of birdies and an eagle on the par-five second swept him to the top of the leaderboard in the spring sunshine.

Kapur, who was looking to end an 11-year title drought on the Asian Tour, fell away following a costly double-bogey on the fifth hole and the Delhi golfer finished with a 72 for an eight-under 276 total.

“It’s nice to win my first title since turning 30 (last December),” Ikeda told reporters after pocketing a cool $270,000.

“I played a great front nine and that momentum carried me through. The early birdies put pressure on the rest of the guys.”

Leading scores:

271 — Yuta IKEDA (JPN) 67-73-66-65

274 — K.T. KIM (KOR) 69-69-68-68, Marcus FRASER (AUS) 71-68-67-68

275 — Shugo IMAHIRA (JPN) 69-71-69-66

276 — Kodai ICHIHARA (JPN) 69-65-71-71, Shiv KAPUR (IND) 68-67-69-72

277 — Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA) 72-68-66-71

278 — Jeunghun WANG (KOR) 71-68-69-70

Three share lead in stormy Shenzhen

South Korea’s Lee Soomin, France’s Alexander Levy and Lee Slattery from England shared the lead Sunday as the storm-hit Shenzhen International went into a fifth day at Genzon Golf Club.

After more than six and a half hours were lost on days one and two due to thunderstorms, another extended break on Sunday meant the final round could not be completed.

The stage is now set for a shootout Monday at the course in southern China’s Guangdong province.

Lee, Levy and Slattery were all 14 under on the back nine when play was stopped due to darkness, the European Tour reported on its website.

Lee and Slattery had completed 13 holes and Levy faces a birdie putt on the 13th green when play gets under way again at 6.30am.

Lee is seeking a first European Tour win in just his sixth event, while Levy eyes a second success on the course after winning the Volvo China Open in 2014.

Barnes leads in Texas Open in search of first PGA win

Ricky Barnes, bidding for a first US PGA Tour title, fired seven birdies in a five-under par 67 on Saturday to take a one-shot lead after three rounds of the Texas Open.

Barnes, 35, closed with a bogey on the TPC San Antonio Oaks course, where he pulled his tee shot left.

But his 11-under total of 205 was enough to keep him one in front of second-round leader Brendan Steele, who seized solo second with a birdie at the last that capped an even par 72 for 206.

“I took advantage of my good shots, converted on my birdies and then obviously a bad finish, bad swing at the end,” Barnes said. “But actually, I still even hit a good putt there — overall if you would have told me five-under today, I would have taken it.”

Barnes said he’d try to stick to his game plan on Sunday as he pursues a first tour title.

“This is why you play the game, right? Come in on Sundays and have a chance to win,” he said.

Steele, who claimed his only PGA Tour title in San Antonio in 2011, got a close-up view of Barnes’ game last week in South Carolina and thought it was “looking really good.”

His own birdie at the par-five 18th lifted him a stroke clear of England’s Luke Donald and Charley Hoffman, but Steele said he was “really struggling.”

“I was able to make enough recovery shots to not make many mistakes and I was able to be patient enough and make a couple of birdies at the end,” he said.