And it is a wrap! The 2nd Annual Jolly Fox Invitational, which took place at Hanazono Golf from June 16-19, has now come to a close and what an amazing event it was. The Jolly Fox Invitational is 4 sensational days of fun starting with the entertaining team draw, followed by 3 rounds of awesome golf competition. The event culminates with the crowing of the Champion at the Gala Awards Dinner held at the Park Hyatt Hanazono Niseko. This year’s competition was won in dominating fashion by the team of Ohtani & Colless who scored a tournament record low score of 22 under par. The pair held their lead through all three rounds of the competition and sealed the victory on Saturday afternoon in front of a big crowd on the 18th green.

The pulse-ending finish of last year’s Jolly was replaced with a tense battle for the coveted 3rd and 4th places (top 4 places won cash prizes). Going into the 18th hole, 3 teams were tied and competing for 2 in-the-money prizes. Ed Downer hit an amazing 30 yard chip shot over the greenside bunker landing it softly on the green within 10 feet of the hole. The Greenwood/Downer team 2-putted to secure sole possession of 3rd place. Coming in 2nd place was the team of Greg Hough and Ruri Meikle with of a score of 16 under par. In any other year, this would likely have been a winning score. Ruri became the first woman to compete in the Jolly and she even won the Longest Drive competition over 31 men on Day 1. This year also saw the introduction of a ¥5M Hole-In-One Competition as well as an exciting ¥1m Putting Competition.

The event continues to raise money for Niseko Tourism to support the essential promotional efforts of ensuring Niseko’s rapid return to one of Asia’s first choice travel destinations.

This competition wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of key sponsors:Callaway, H2 Group, Park Hyatt Hanazono Niseko, Powderlife, Hanazono Golf, Black Wood Grill, MnK, Niseko Black, Glen Claydon Photography, Uchi and Niseko Realty.