Tomoo Ishii (石井 朝夫, Ishii Tomoo) (9 June 1923 – 24 January 2022) was a Japanese professional golfer.

Tomoo Ishii
Personal information
Born(1923-06-09)9 June 1923
Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
Died24 January 2022(2022-01-24) (aged 98)
Height167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb)
Sporting nationality Japan
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins10
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT26: 1965
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Professional career

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Ishii was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and started playing golf at the age of 15.[1] Ishii won a number of events on the Japanese and Asian circuits through the 1950s and 1960s. One of his top triumphs was at the 1964 Capitol Hills Open in Manila, Philippines on the Far East Circuit. Ishii was tied for the lead with Australian golfer Peter Thomson at the beginning of the fourth round. He outshot Thomson by four strokes over the course of the final round to win.[2]

His good play helped him earn three consecutive special foreign invitations to the Masters in the mid-1960s. He was one of the first Asian players to play in the event. He made the cut the first two years. He also represented Japan in the Canada Cup in 1963 and 1964.

Personal life and death

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Ishii died on 24 January 2022, at the age of 98.[3]

Professional wins (10)

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Far East Circuit wins (4)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 1 Mar 1964 Capitol Hills Open −4 (69-72-70-69=280) 2 strokes   Ben Arda
2 15 Mar 1964 Malayan Open −14 (70-75-70-67=282) 1 stroke   Brian Huggett,   Tadashi Kitta
3 14 Mar 1965 Malayan Open (2) −10 (71-73-70-68=282) 2 strokes   Lu Liang-Huan,   Guy Wolstenholme
4 19 Mar 1967 Thailand Open −5 (72-73-67-71=283) 2 strokes   Tony Jacklin,   Kuo Chie-Hsiung

Japan wins (5)

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Senior wins (1)

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Results in major championships

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Tournament 1964 1965 1966
Masters Tournament T40 T26 CUT

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied for place
Note: Ishii only played in the Masters Tournament.[4][5]

Team appearances

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References

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  1. ^ "Tomoo Ishii". JGTO. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Ishii's 69 for 280 Captures Manila Golf by Two Strokes". The New York Times. 2 March 1964. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  3. ^ "男子ゴルフ石井朝夫が死去、98歳 マスターズに3年連続出場" [Men's golf Tomoo Ishii dies, 98 years old, participates in Masters for 3 consecutive years] (in Japanese). Sponichi. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Tomoo Ishii". Golf Major Championships. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Masters scorecard". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 9 April 1966. p. 8.