The Kirin Open was a golf tournament in Japan. It was founded in 1972 as the season ending event on the Asia Golf Circuit, replacing the Yomiuri International which had been cancelled when sponsors decided to discontinue the event.[1][2] It was also a fixture on the Japan Golf Tour from 1974 until 2001.

Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Kirin Open
Tournament information
LocationIbaraki, Ibaraki, Japan
Established1972
Course(s)Ibaraki Golf Club
Par71
Length7,049 yards (6,446 m)
Tour(s)Asia Golf Circuit
Japan Golf Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund¥100,000,000
Month playedApril
Final year2001
Tournament record score
Aggregate265 Kuo Chie-Hsiung (1978)
To par−23 as above
Final champion
Japan Shingo Katayama
Location map
Ibaraki GC is located in Japan
Ibaraki GC
Ibaraki GC
Location in Japan
Ibaraki GC is located in Ibaraki Prefecture
Ibaraki GC
Ibaraki GC
Location in the Ibaraki Prefecture

It was played at Sobu Country Club in Inzai until 1976. In 1977 Dunlop became title sponsors and the tournament was moved to Ibaraki Golf Club in Ibaraki.

Winners

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Year Tour(s)[a] Winner Score To par Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up Ref.
Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Kirin Open
2001 JPN   Shingo Katayama (2) 271 −13 6 strokes   Hajime Meshiai
2000 JPN   Shingo Katayama 280 −4 2 strokes   Lin Keng-chi
  Peter Senior
  Andre Stolz
Kirin Open
1999 AGC, JPN   K. J. Choi 204[b] −9 Playoff[c]   Jeev Milkha Singh [3]
1998 AGC, JPN   Frankie Miñoza (2) 279 −5 1 stroke   Hidemichi Tanaka
  Tsukasa Watanabe
  Brian Watts
1997 AGC, JPN   Kim Jong-duck 278 −10 2 strokes   Shigeki Maruyama
  Hirofumi Miyase
  Tateo Ozaki
  Brian Watts
1996 AGC, JPN   Yoshinori Kaneko 278 −10 1 stroke   Tsuneyuki Nakajima
  Nobuo Serizawa
Dunlop Open
1995 AGC, JPN   Peter Senior 279 −9 5 strokes   Brian Watts [4]
1994 AGC, JPN   Masashi Ozaki (4) 274 −14 1 stroke   Hsieh Chin-sheng [5]
1993 AGC, JPN   Hajime Meshiai 275 −13 2 strokes   Katsunari Takahashi
  Kevin Wentworth
[6]
1992 AGC, JPN   Masashi Ozaki (3) 286 −2 Playoff[d]   Brent Franklin [7]
1991 AGC, JPN   Roger Mackay 272 −16 2 strokes   Teruo Sugihara [8]
1990 AGC, JPN   Frankie Miñoza 205[b] −11 Playoff[e]   Teruo Sugihara [9]
1989 AGC, JPN   Terry Gale 284 −4 1 stroke   Chen Tze-ming
  Peter Senior
[10]
1988 AGC, JPN   Masashi Ozaki (2) 278 −10 3 strokes   David Ishii [11]
Dunlop International Open
1987 AGC, JPN   Isao Aoki 277 −11 1 stroke   Tsuneyuki Nakajima
  Yoshitaka Yamamoto
[12]
1986 AGC, JPN   Hideto Shigenobu 281 −7 2 strokes   David Ishii
  Masahiro Kuramoto
[13]
1985 AGC, JPN   Chen Tze-chung 277 −11 1 stroke   Tsuneyuki Nakajima [14]
1984 AGC, JPN   John Jacobs 283 −5 2 strokes   Tateo Ozaki [15]
1983 AGC, JPN   Larry Nelson 201[b] −15 1 stroke   Masahiro Kuramoto [16][17]
1982 AGC, JPN   Tsuneyuki Nakajima 276 −12 5 strokes   Saburo Fujiki [18]
1981 AGC, JPN   Kosaku Shimada 286 −2 2 strokes   Payne Stewart
  Koichi Uehara
  Akira Yabe
[19]
1980 AGC, JPN   Masashi Ozaki 277 −11 5 strokes   Ho Ming-chung
  Graham Marsh
[20]
1979 AGC, JPN   Hiroshi Ishii 278 −10 3 strokes   Seiji Ebihara
  Tateo Ozaki
  Katsunari Takahashi
[21]
1978 AGC, JPN   Kuo Chie-Hsiung 265 −23 11 strokes   Bob Byman [22]
1977 AGC, JPN   Ben Arda (2) 282 −6 2 strokes   Terry Kendall
  Tsuneyuki Nakajima
[23]
Sobu International Open
1976 AGC, JPN   Ben Arda 277 −11 4 strokes   Chen Chien-chung [24]
1975 AGC, JPN   Teruo Sugihara 282 −6 2 strokes   Ted Ball
  Hsu Sheng-san
  Hideyo Sugimoto
[25]
1974 AGC, JPN   Lu Liang-Huan 280 −8 4 strokes   Masashi Ozaki
  Fumio Tanaka
[26]
1973 AGC   Shigeru Uchida 279 −9 Playoff[f]   Masashi Ozaki [27]
1972 AGC   Hsieh Min-Nan 279 −9 2 strokes   Ben Arda [28]

Notes

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  1. ^ AGC − Asia Golf Circuit; JPN − Japan Golf Tour.
  2. ^ a b c Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
  3. ^ Choi won on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.
  4. ^ Ozaki won on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.
  5. ^ Miñoza won with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden death playoff.
  6. ^ Uchida won with a 180-yard hole-out for eagle on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.

References

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  1. ^ "Asian golf circuit gets underway". New Nation. 24 February 1972. p. 14. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  2. ^ "Yomiuri is out". New Nation. 9 February 1972. p. 19. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  3. ^ "Kirin Open". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 26 April 1999. p. 36. Retrieved 21 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 April 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  5. ^ "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 April 1994. p. 21. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 April 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 April 1992. p. 18. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  8. ^ "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 29 April 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  9. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1991). The World of Professional Golf 1991. Chapmans. pp. 283, 524. ISBN 1855925583.
  10. ^ "Surprise win for Gale". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 April 1989. p. 19. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
  11. ^ "Sport Summary – Golf – Dunlop Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 25 April 1988. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  12. ^ "Aoki A-okay for Dunlop crown". The Straits Times. Singapore. 27 April 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  13. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1987). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1987. Collins Willow. p. 473. ISBN 0002182572.
  14. ^ "Chen's day again". The Straits Times. Singapore. 29 April 1985. p. 24. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  15. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1985). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1985. Springwood Books Ltd. p. 451. ISBN 0862541247.
  16. ^ "Nicklaus leads the elite". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1983. p. 41. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  17. ^ "Eagle does it for Nelson". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 April 1983. p. 39. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  18. ^ "Shearer one off lead". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 26 April 1982. p. 25. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  19. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books Ltd. p. 448. ISBN 0862541018.
  20. ^ "Ozaki hits 70 to finish 5 strokes ahead". The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 April 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  21. ^ "Veteran Ishii triumphs in Japan Open". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1979. p. 28. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  22. ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday Publishing. p. 385. ISBN 0385149409.
  23. ^ "Veteran has good win". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 25 April 1977. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
  24. ^ "Arda wins right to play in British, US meets". The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 April 1976. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  25. ^ "Veteran Sugihara storms way to Sobhu title, but Hsieh again takes circuit prize". The Straits Times. Singapore. 21 April 1975. p. 26. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  26. ^ "Lu cards a 70 to win Sobu Open". The Straits Times. Singapore. 22 April 1974. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  27. ^ "Uchida beats Ozaki". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1973. p. 23. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
  28. ^ "Marsh wins circuit prize". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 24 April 1972. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
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