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The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers 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 World Golf Ranking points, and success on the tour can also qualify members to play in the majors.
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 Organisation (JGTO), which was established in 1999. The JGTO also organises a developmental tour called the Japan Challenge Tour.
Masashi "Jumbo" 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.
2009 Schedule
The table below shows the 2009 schedule. The number in brackets after each winner's name is the number of Japan Golf Tour events he had won up to and including that tournament. This information is only shown for Japan Golf Tour members (does not include the four major golf chamipnships and the World Golf Championships). All tournaments are played in Japan.
| Dates | Tournament | Prize fund (￥) | Winner | OWGR pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 16-19 | Token Homemate Cup | 130,000,000 |  Koumei Oda (2) |
16 |
| Apr 23-26 | Tsuruya Open | 120,000,000 | Masaya Tomida (1) |
18 |
| Apr 30 - May 3 | The Crowns | 120,000,000 | Tetsuji Hiratsuka (5) |
20 |
| May 28-31 | Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf | 150,000,000 | Takashi Kanemoto (1) |
20 |
| Jun 4-7 | UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship ShishidoHills | 150,000,000 | Yuji Igarashi (1) |
20 |
| Jun 11-14 | Japan PGA Championship | 130,000,000 | Yuta Ikeda (1) |
16 |
| Jun 25-28 | Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic | 130,000,000 | Ryo Ishikawa (3) |
18 |
| Jul 23-26 | Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup | 130,000,000 | Hiroyuki Fujita (7) |
18 |
| Jul 30 - Aug 2 | Sun Chlorella Classic | 150,000,000 | Ryo Ishikawa (4) |
16 |
| Aug 20-23 | Kansai Open Golf Championship | 50,000,000 | Hiroyuki Fujita (8) |
16 |
| Aug 27-30 | Vana H Cup KBC Augusta | 110,000,000 | Yuta Ikeda (2) |
18 |
| Sep 3-6 | Fujisankei Classic | 110,000,000 | Ryo Ishikawa (5) |
18 |
| Sep 17-20 | ANA Open | 130,000,000 | Toru Taniguchi (15) |
16 |
| Sep 24-27 | Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open | 150,000,000 | Daisuke Maruyama (2) |
20 |
| Oct 1-4 | Coca-Cola Tokai Classic | 120,000,000 | Ryo Ishikawa (6) |
18 |
| Oct 8-11 | Canon Open | 150,000,000 | Yuta Ikeda (3) |
18 |
| Oct 15-18 | Japan Open Golf Championship | 200,000,000 | Ryuichi Oda (1) |
32 |
| Oct 22-25 | Bridgestone Open | 150,000,000 | Yuta Ikeda (4) |
20 |
| Oct 29 - Nov 1 | mynavi ABC Championship | 150,000,000 | Toru Suzuki (8) |
16 |
| Nov 5-8 | The Championship by Lexus | 200,000,000 | Toshinori Muto (3) |
16 |
| Nov 12-15 | Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters | 200,000,000 | Yasuharu Imano (7) |
20 |
| Nov 19-22 | Dunlop Phoenix | 200,000,000 |  Edoardo Molinari (n/a) |
28 |
| Nov 26-29 | Casio World Open | 200,000,000 | ||
| Dec 3-6 | Golf Nippon Series JT Cup | 130,000,000 |
Money list winners
The official prize money list on the Japan Golf Tour includes money won by members in the majors and the World Golf Championships events. All of the players who have topped the money list are Japanese nationals, except for the Japanese American David Ishii.
| Year | Player | Prize Money (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shingo Katayama | 180,094,895 |
| 2007 | Toru Taniguchi | 171,744,498 |
| 2006 | Shingo Katayama | 178,402,190 |
| 2005 | Shingo Katayama | 134,075,280 |
| 2004 | Shingo Katayama | 119,512,374 |
| 2003 | Toshimitsu Izawa | 135,454,300 |
| 2002 | Toru Taniguchi | 145,440,341 |
| 2001 | Toshimitsu Izawa | 217,934,583 |
| 2000 | Shingo Katayama | 177,116,489 |
| 1999 | Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki | 137,641,796 |
| 1998 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 179,627,400 |
| 1997 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 170,847,633 |
| 1996 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 209,646,746 |
| 1995 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 192,319,800 |
| 1994 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 215,468,000 |
| 1993 | Hajime Meshiai | 148,718,200 |
| 1992 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 186,816,466 |
| 1991 | Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki | 119,507,974 |
| 1990 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 129,060,500 |
| 1989 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 108,715,733 |
| 1988 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 125,162,540 |
| 1987 | David Ishii | 86,554,421 |
| 1986 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | 90,202,066 |
| 1985 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | 101,609,333 |
| 1984 | Shinsaku Maeda | 57,040,357 |
| 1983 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | 85,514,183 |
| 1982 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | 68,220,640 |
| 1981 | Isao Aoki | 57,262,941 |
| 1980 | Isao Aoki | 60,532,660 |
| 1979 | Isao Aoki | 45,554,211 |
| 1978 | Isao Aoki | 62,987,200 |
| 1977 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 35,932,608 |
| 1976 | Isao Aoki | 40,985,801 |
| 1975 | Takashi Murakami | 38,705,551 |
| 1974 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 41,846,908 |
| 1973 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | 43,814,000 |
Multiple money list titles
The following players have won more than one money list title through 2008:
- 12: Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki
- 5: Isao Aoki, Shingo Katayama
- 4: Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima
- 2: Toshimitsu Izawa, Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki, Toru Taniguchi
Career money leaders
The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2008 season. The figures shown include money won in the four global major championships from 1998 onwards and in the three individual World Golf Championships events from their introduction in 1999. The leading non-Japanese money winner on the tour is Japanese-American David Ishii with earnings of over 800 million ¥. The leading non ethnic-Japanese player is the Filipino Frankie Miñoza with earnings of over 660 million ¥.
| Position | Player | Country | Prize Money (¥) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | Japan | 2,683,060,692 |
| 2 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | Japan | 1,633,334,796 |
| 3 | Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki | Japan | 1,524,256,900 |
| 4 | Shingo Katayama | Japan | 1,452,972,424 |
| 5 | Toru Taniguchi | Japan | 1,133,084,469 |
| 6 | Masahiro "Massy" Kuramoto | Japan | 998,376,450 |
| 7 | Toshimitsu Izawa | Japan | 995,863,808 |
| 8 | Isao Aoki | Japan | 980,652,048 |
| 9 | David Ishii | United States | 814,695,905 |
| 10 | Hajime Meshiai | Japan | 812,700,432 |
There is a full list on the Japan Golf Tour's website here.
Records
- Youngest winner: Ryo Ishikawa (amateur) 15 years, 238 days (Munsingwear Open KSB Cup, 2007)
See also
External links
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