The Japan Golf Tour (Japanese: 日本ゴルフツアー機構) is a prominent professional golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offered the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However, since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with that on the two larger tours. Official events on the Japan Golf Tour count for Official World Golf Ranking points and success on the tour can also qualify members to play in the majors.

Japan Golf Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 Japan Golf Tour
Formerlyiiyama Tour
PGA of Japan Tour
SportGolf
Founded1973
FounderPGA of Japan
First season1973
DirectorIsao Aoki
CountriesBased in Japan[a]
Most titlesMoney list titles:
Japan Masashi Ozaki (12)
Tournament wins:
Japan Masashi Ozaki (94)
Related
competitions
Japan Challenge Tour
Official websitehttp://www.jgto.org/en

Most of the leading players on the tour are Japanese, but players from many other countries also participate. The tour is currently run by the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), which was established in 1999 to separate the tour from the PGA of Japan.[1] The JGTO also organises a developmental tour called the Japan Challenge Tour.

Masashi Ozaki has been the dominant player on tour, leading the career wins list with 94, the career money list with over ¥2 billion and winning the money title twelve times between 1973 and 1998.[2]

Entry to The Open Championship is given to Order of Merit winner and runner-up, Japan Open Golf Championship winner, two players not already exempt from the money list up to the Japan Golf Tour Championship and the top four non-exempt players from the Mizuno Open.

In 2000, the tour signed a title sponsorship agreement with Iiyama, being renamed as the iiyama Tour. The agreement was reported to be worth ¥1,500,000,000 over three years.[3]

In 2008, the tour ventured outside of Japan for the first time, co-sanctioning the Pine Valley Beijing Open in China, alongside the Asian Tour.[4] In 2013, the tour also co-sanctioned two events at the beginning of the year in Thailand and Indonesia with the OneAsia Tour.[5][6]

In December 2022, a new agreement involving the JGTO, PGA Tour and European Tour was announced. As part of the deal, from 2023 onwards the top three on the Japan Golf Tour's season-ending money list earned status to play on the European Tour for the following season.[7]

Money list winners

edit
Season Winner Prize money (¥)
2023   Keita Nakajima 184,986,179
2022   Kazuki Higa 181,598,825
2020–21   Chan Kim 127,599,803
2019   Shugo Imahira (2) 168,049,312
2018   Shugo Imahira 139,119,332
2017   Yūsaku Miyazato 182,831,982
2016   Yuta Ikeda 207,901,567
2015   Kim Kyung-tae (2) 165,981,625
2014   Koumei Oda 137,318,693
2013   Hideki Matsuyama 201,076,781
2012   Hiroyuki Fujita 175,159,972
2011   Bae Sang-moon 151,078,958
2010   Kim Kyung-tae 181,103,799
2009   Ryo Ishikawa 183,524,051
2008   Shingo Katayama (5) 180,094,895
2007   Toru Taniguchi (2) 171,744,498
2006   Shingo Katayama (4) 178,402,190
2005   Shingo Katayama (3) 134,075,280
2004   Shingo Katayama (2) 119,512,374
2003   Toshimitsu Izawa (2) 135,454,300
2002   Toru Taniguchi 145,440,341
2001   Toshimitsu Izawa 217,934,583
2000   Shingo Katayama 177,116,489
1999   Naomichi Ozaki (2) 137,641,796
1998   Masashi Ozaki (12) 179,627,400
1997   Masashi Ozaki (11) 170,847,633
1996   Masashi Ozaki (10) 209,646,746
1995   Masashi Ozaki (9) 192,319,800
1994   Masashi Ozaki (8) 215,468,000
1993   Hajime Meshiai 148,718,200
1992   Masashi Ozaki (7) 186,816,466
1991   Naomichi Ozaki 119,507,974
1990   Masashi Ozaki (6) 129,060,500
1989   Masashi Ozaki (5) 108,715,733
1988   Masashi Ozaki (4) 125,162,540
1987   David Ishii 86,554,421
1986   Tsuneyuki Nakajima (4) 90,202,066
1985   Tsuneyuki Nakajima (3) 101,609,333
1984   Shinsaku Maeda 57,040,357
1983   Tsuneyuki Nakajima (2) 85,514,183
1982   Tsuneyuki Nakajima 68,220,640
1981   Isao Aoki (5) 57,262,941
1980   Isao Aoki (4) 60,532,660
1979   Isao Aoki (3) 45,554,211
1978   Isao Aoki (2) 62,987,200
1977   Masashi Ozaki (3) 35,932,608
1976   Isao Aoki 40,985,801
1975   Takashi Murakami 38,705,551
1974   Masashi Ozaki (2) 41,846,908
1973   Masashi Ozaki 43,814,000

Multiple money list titles

edit

The following players have won more than one money list title through 2023:

Titles Player
12   Masashi Ozaki
5   Isao Aoki
  Shingo Katayama
4   Tsuneyuki Nakajima
2   Toshimitsu Izawa
  Naomichi Ozaki
  Toru Taniguchi
  Kim Kyung-tae
  Shugo Imahira

Awards

edit
Season Most Valuable Player Rookie of the Year
2023   Keita Nakajima   Keita Nakajima
2022   Kazuki Higa   Yuto Katsuragawa
2020–21   Chan Kim   Takumi Kanaya
2019   Shugo Imahira (2)   Jazz Janewattananond
2018   Shugo Imahira   Rikuya Hoshino
2017   Yūsaku Miyazato   Chan Kim
2016   Yuta Ikeda   Shaun Norris
2015   Kim Kyung-tae   Song Young-han
2014   Koumei Oda   Kim Seung-hyuk
2013   Hideki Matsuyama   Hideki Matsuyama
2012   Hiroyuki Fujita (2)   Yoshinori Fujimoto
2011   Bae Sang-moon   Park Jae-bum
2010   Hiroyuki Fujita   Shunsuke Sonoda
2009   Ryo Ishikawa   Yuta Ikeda
2008   Shingo Katayama (4)   Ryo Ishikawa
2007   Toru Taniguchi (3)   Lee Seong-ho
2006   Shingo Katayama (3)   Lee Dong-hwan
2005   Shingo Katayama (2)   Jang Ik-jae
2004   Toru Taniguchi (2)   Takuya Taniguchi
2003   Toshimitsu Izawa (2)   Hideto Tanihara
2002   Toru Taniguchi   Brendan Jones
2001   Toshimitsu Izawa   Scott Laycock
2000   Shingo Katayama   Dean Wilson

Career money leaders

edit

The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2021 season. The figures shown include money won in the four global major championships from 1998 onwards and in the individual World Golf Championships from 1999 to 2009.

Position Player Prize money (¥)
1   Masashi Ozaki 2,688,836,653
2   Shingo Katayama 2,252,278,502
3   Tsuneyuki Nakajima 1,664,953,541
4   Toru Taniguchi 1,662,207,219
5   Naomichi Ozaki 1,545,609,713
6   Hiroyuki Fujita 1,533,257,797
7   Yuta Ikeda 1,269,641,069
8   Hideto Tanihara 1,192,142,233
9   Katsumasa Miyamoto 1,166,981,591
10   Brendan Jones 1,094,192,410

Japan Golf Tour's website has a full list here.

Records

edit

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Schedules have also included events in China, Indonesia, South Korea, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Japan golf touring pros on own". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. 27 January 1999. p. 27. Retrieved 10 April 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Zak, Sean (8 December 2016). "Before Hideki Matsuyama, There Was Jumbo Ozaki". Golf.com. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ^ "年間スポンサーのイーヤマ撤退を正式発表" [Official announcement of the withdrawal of annual sponsor iiyama]. Golf Digest Japan (in Japanese). 11 May 2002. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Aoki tipped to play at Pine Valley Beijing Open". china.org.cn. 23 April 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Japan Tour expands OneAsia link". The Sporting News. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. ^ Thongsombat, Kittipong (13 December 2012). "Japanese addition for Thai Open". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. ^ Beall, Joel (5 December 2022). "PGA Tour and DP World Tour announce alliance with Japan Golf Tour". Golf Digest. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  8. ^ "15-year-old boy captures pro tournament in Japan". Toronto Star. 21 May 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
edit