Kuzuha International

(Redirected from Kuzuha Kokusai Tournament)

The Kuzuha International was a professional golf tournament in Japan between 1965 and 1990. It was played at the Kuzuha Public Golf Course in Kuzuha, Hirakata, Osaka. From 1978 to 1983, it was a Japan Golf Tour event.[1]

Kuzuha International
Tournament information
LocationHirakata, Osaka, Japan
Established1965
Course(s)Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Par70
Tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund¥15,000,000
Final year1990
Tournament record score
Aggregate129 Tsutomu Irie (1985)
To par−11 as above
Final champion
Japan Yoshimi Niizeki
Location map
Kuzuha Public Golf Course is located in Japan
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in Japan
Kuzuha Public Golf Course is located in Osaka Prefecture
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in the Osaka Prefecture

In 1985, Tsutomu Irie became the first player to break the 60 barrier in major professional tournament in Japan when he scored 59 (11 under par) in the first round.[2]

History

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The first two editions were a five-man invitation event played over 18 holes, after which it was a larger single-day 36-hole tournament. The first international players competed in 1971. It was reduced to a 27-hole event in 1972 and 1973, before becoming a two-day 36 hole tournament from 1974.

Winners

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Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Ref
1990   Yoshimi Niizeki 132 −8 1 stroke   Tadao Nakamura
1989   Tōru Nakamura 133 −7 1 stroke   Satoshi Higashi
1988   Wayne Smith 131 −9 2 strokes   Yasuhiro Funatogawa
  Craig Parry
[3]
1987   Katsunari Takahashi 131 −9 1 stroke   Brian Jones [4]
1986   Yoshitaka Yamamoto 137 −3 Playoff[a]   Seiichi Kanai [5]
1985   Tsutomu Irie 129 −11 3 strokes   David Ishii
1984   Norio Suzuki 133 −7 1 stroke   Wayne Grady
  Yasuhiro Miyamoto
[6]
1983   Kikuo Arai 138 −2 Playoff[b]   David Ishii
  Teruo Sugihara
[7]
1982   Namio Takasu 102[c] −3 1 stroke   Yoshikazu Yokoshima
1981   Kosaku Shimada 133 −7 2 strokes   Lu Liang-Huan
  Nobumitsu Yuhara
[8]
1980   Yoshikazu Yokoshima 134 −6 2 strokes   Tsutomu Irie
  Shinsaku Maeda
  Kenichi Yamada
[9]
1979   Hsieh Min-Nan 134 −6 2 strokes   Fujio Kobayashi
1978   Akira Yabe 135 −5 1 stroke   Brian Jones
  Yoshikazu Yokoshima
[10]
1977   Greg Norman 135 −5 2 strokes   Kikuo Arai [11]
1976   Fujio Kobayashi 133 −7 1 stroke   Chen Chien-chung
  Hsieh Min-Nan
[12]
1975   Norio Suzuki 133 −7 1 stroke   Ted Ball [13]
1974   Namio Takasu 131 −9 3 strokes   Masashi Ozaki [14]
1973   Han Chang-sang 102[c] Playoff[d]   Graham Marsh [15]
1972   Lu Liang-Huan 107[c] Playoff   Walter Godfrey
1971   Guy Wolstenholme 139 −3 1 stroke   Akio Kanemoto
1970   Hideyo Sugimoto 145 −1 2 strokes   Kosaku Shimada
1969   Tadashi Kitta 136 −4 4 strokes   Torakichi Nakamura
1968   Shozo Miyamoto 134 −6 2 strokes   Susumu Arai
1967   Teruo Sugihara 136 −8 Playoff   Hideyo Sugimoto
1966   Tadashi Kitta 65 −7 2 strokes   Shozo Miyamoto
1965   Teruo Sugihara and
  Toichiro Toda
65 −7 Tie n/a

Source:[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ Yamamoto won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
  2. ^ Arai won with a par on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff; Sugimoto was eliminated when he made a bogey on the second extra hole.
  3. ^ a b c Shortened to 27 holes due to weather.
  4. ^ Han won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

References

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  1. ^ "Tour 1978"."Tour 1979"."Tour 1980"."Tour 1981"."Tour 1982"."Tour 1983". Japan Golf Tour Organization. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Irie fires lowest score in Japan's pro history". Singapore Monitor. Reuter. 7 April 1985 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  3. ^ McCormack, Mark (1989). World of Professional Golf 1989. Collins Willow. pp. 276, 502. ISBN 000218284X.
  4. ^ McCormack, Mark (1988). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1988. Collins Willow. pp. 252, 464–465. ISBN 0002182831.
  5. ^ McCormack, Mark (1987). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1987. Collins Willow. p. 264. ISBN 0002182572.
  6. ^ McCormack, Mark (1985). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1985. Springwood Books. pp. 223, 445–446. ISBN 0862541247.
  7. ^ "Kukuo Arai wins Japan playoff". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. AP. 4 Apr 1983. p. 32. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ McCormack, Mark (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books. pp. 235, 452. ISBN 0862541018.
  9. ^ McCormack, Mark (1981). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1981. Springwood Books. pp. 172, 375–376. ISBN 0862540054.
  10. ^ McCormack, Mark (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday Publishing. pp. 244, 384. ISBN 0385149409.
  11. ^ "Norman wins in Japan". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 18 April 1977. p. 37. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  12. ^ "Japan golfer cops tourney". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. UPI. 19 Apr 1976. p. D-5. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ McCormack, Mark (1976). The World of Professional Golf 1976. Collins. pp. 290, 477. ISBN 000211996X.
  14. ^ "Kuzuha title to Takasu". The Straits Times. Singapore. 7 May 1974. p. 22. Retrieved 26 January 2021 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  15. ^ "Hahn Victor in Kuzuha Golf". The New York Times. AP. 7 May 1973. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  16. ^ "History" (in Japanese). Kuzuha Public Golf Course. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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