 Well, for the very first occasion in the storied history of this great golfing event, the New Zealand Open has a winner from Japan. Tadahira Hitachi emerged as a winner from a logjam on day four here at Milbrook, but it was not without drama. Here, Maddie Griffin, joint third-round leader, birdie the seventh. Here he is playing an approach to the ninth hole, a brilliant approach which sheds up yet another birdie. Scott Hend all but drove the third and then two-putted for birdie across the green. Here at the sixteenth, he almost repeated his heroics of yesterday where he holed his approach for eagle. Today, he did nearly the same. That would set up a birdie, though, and move him closer to Hitachi. Hend was forced to lay up again at the seventeenth, but this approach to set up yet another birdie which would take him into a shear of the lead. Hitachi, however, was making progress of his own. Here he birdie the fourth. And at the par three-fifteenth, he hit this approach, and soon after, he would convert for birdie to move to seventeenth under par. Scott Hend needed this putt at the last to force a playoff, but it was not to be. Not only was it the first time winner from Japan, but it was a first win for Tadahira Hitachi at the end of a great week here at Nubu Kofu Prezor.