James Barry "Jbe'" Kruger (born 23 June 1986) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the Japan Golf Tour, the Sunshine Tour and the Asian Tour. He was born in Kimberley, Northern Cape and turned professional in 2007.

Jbe' Kruger
Personal information
Full nameJames Barry Kruger
NicknameJbe'
Born (1986-06-23) 23 June 1986 (age 38)
Kimberley, South Africa
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight61 kg (134 lb; 9.6 st)
Sporting nationality South Africa
ResidenceBloemfontein, South Africa
Career
Turned professional2007
Current tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
Asian Tour
Sunshine Tour
Former tour(s)European Tour
Professional wins9
Number of wins by tour
European Tour1
Japan Golf Tour2
Asian Tour3
Sunshine Tour5
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 2012, 2017

Professional career

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Kruger has won five times on the Sunshine Tour. He won the Avantha Masters in February 2012, an event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour.[1] He also won the Shinhan Donghae Open in September 2019, which was co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour, the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour.[2]

In July 2023, Kruger claimed his second win on the Japan Golf Tour at the Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup.[3] He also won the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in October 2024.[4]

Professional wins (9)

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European Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runners-up
1 19 Feb 2012 Avantha Masters1 −14 (70-69-66-69=274) 2 strokes   Jorge Campillo,   Marcel Siem

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 22 Sep 2019 Shinhan Donghae Open1 −15 (69-67-68-65=269) 2 strokes   Chan Kim
2 2 Jul 2023 Shigeo Nagashima Invitational Sega Sammy Cup −23 (66-67-65-67=265) 3 strokes   Naoyuki Kataoka,   Anthony Quayle

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour

Asian Tour wins (3)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 19 Feb 2012 Avantha Masters1 −14 (70-69-66-69=274) 2 strokes   Jorge Campillo,   Marcel Siem
2 22 Sep 2019 Shinhan Donghae Open2 −15 (69-67-68-65=269) 2 strokes   Chan Kim
3 6 Oct 2024 Mercuries Taiwan Masters −8 (68-71-69=208)* 2 strokes   Pavit Tangkamolprasert,   Wang Jeung-hun

*Note: The 2024 Mercuries Taiwan Masters was shortened to 54 holes due to Typhoon Krathon.
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the Japan Golf Tour and the Korean Tour

Asian Tour playoff record (0–1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2010 Brunei Open   Siddikur Rahman Lost to par on first extra hole

Sunshine Tour wins (5)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 30 Aug 2009 Zambia Open −15 (69-68-67=204) 3 strokes   Titch Moore
2 24 Apr 2010 Africom Zimbabwe Open −19 (68-69-67-65=269) 2 strokes   Jaco van Zyl
3 13 Apr 2014 Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open (2) −18 (67-69-68-66=270) 1 stroke   Jacques Blaauw
4 11 Aug 2017 Sun Carnival City Challenge −11 (66-69-70=205) 1 stroke   Neil Schietekat,   J. J. Senekal
5 21 Mar 2021 Gauteng Championship −21 (70-64-67-66=267) 2 strokes   Martin Rohwer

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open
The Open Championship CUT CUT
PGA Championship
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Results in World Golf Championships

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Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Championship T57
Match Play
Invitational
Champions T23 68 T60
  Did not play

"T" = Tied

References

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  1. ^ "Jbe Kruger hangs on to break European Tour duck at Avantha Masters". The Guardian. Press Association. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Kruger ends seven-year title drought at Shinhan Donghae Open". Golf Australia. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. ^ "South Africa's Kruger ends four-year title wait". Japan Golf Tour Organization. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  4. ^ "Kruger wins Asian Tour's typhoon-ravaged Taiwan Masters". SuperSport. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
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