Donald Wins Phoenix Cup

Luke Donald shot a 5-under 66 on Saturday to defend his title at the Dunlop Phoenix and earn his first victory of the year. 

Heading into the final round with a two-stroke lead, Donald had seven birdies and two bogeys at the par-71 Phoenix Country Club to finish at 14-under 270 in this most prestigious event on the Japan Tour. 

Hyung-sung Kim of South Korea finished second at 8 under after a final-round 70. Shingo Katayama shot a 65 to finish third, one stroke behind Kim. 

Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Japan's Shunsuke Sonoda tied for fourth.

Man Hijacks Bus In Miyazaki

A 45-year-old man who allegedly hijacked a bus because he wanted to visit his parents was arrested in Miyazaki Prefecture, police said Monday, after he let the driver go to the toilet.

The local bus was traveling from Miyazaki airport to Miyakonojo just before 10 p.m. Sunday, when Seiichi Sato threatened the driver and passengers with a pair of scissors, Jiji press reported.

“We received an emergency call at 10 p.m. from one of the passengers who said the bus had been hijacked,” a spokesman for Miyazaki police told AFP.

Media reports suggested the bus made a number of stops to let passengers off, before pulling over at a convenience store some time before midnight.

After a stand-off that lasted more than an hour, officers swooped when Sato let the driver off the bus, ostensibly to go to the toilet, media reported.

Sato told police he had hijacked the bus “to see my foster parents in Ebino city”, Fuji Television reported.

No one on the bus was injured, police said.

$3,000 Will Buy A Pair of Miyazaki Mangoes

A brand-name pair of mangoes from Miyazaki Prefecture fetch ¥300,000 ($3,000)  at the local central wholesale market on Tachibana Dori, setting an all time record for the Miyazaki grown fruit .

Mangoes sold under the Taiyo no Tamago (Egg of the Sun) label are selected under strict criteria including weight (each must weigh more than 350 grams) and sugar content, which must be high, according to the Miyazaki Agricultural Economic Federation.

Among the 231 two-mango cases auctioned on the day, the highest priced pair was to be airlifted for sale at a department store in Fukuoka, Kyushu’s largest city.

“Producers had a hard time because of the low temperature this year, but we are happy that the mangoes fetched high prices,” said Yasukazu Matsuda, a member of a local fruit growers association.

Miyazaki Agricultural Newsletter