Japan Golf Tour
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.
Schedule
The table below shows the 2007 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. All tournaments are played in Japan.
| Dates | Tournament | Prize fund (¥JPY) |
Winner | OWGR pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12-15 | Token Homemate Cup | 110,000,000 | 16 | |
| Apr 19-22 | Tsuruya Open | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| Apr 26-29 | The Crowns | 120,000,000 | 18 | |
| May 10-13 | Japan PGA Championship | 130,000,000 | 16 | |
| May 17-20 | Munsingwear Open KSB Cup | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| May 24-27 | Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf | 110,000,000 | 16 | |
| May 31-June 3 | JCB Classic | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| June 21-24 | Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic | 130,000,000 | 16 | |
| June 28-July 1 | Japan Golf Tour Championship | 150,000,000 | 16 | |
| July 5-8 | Woodone Open Hiroshima | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| July 12-15 | Nagashima Shigeo INVITATIONAL SEGA SAMMY Cup | 150,000,000 | 16 | |
| Aug 2-5 | Sun Chlorella Classic | 150,000,000 | 16 | |
| August 23-26 | KBC Augusta | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| August 30-Sep 2 | Fujisankei Classic | 150,000,000 | 16 | |
| Sep 6-9 | Suntory Open | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| Sep 13-16 | ANA Open | 100,000,000 | 16 | |
| Sep 27-30 | Coca-Cola Tokai Classic | 120,000,000 | 16 | |
| Oct 11-14 | Japan Open Golf Championship | 200,000,000 | 32 | |
| Oct 18-21 | Bridgestone Open | 110,000,000 | ||
| Oct 25-28 | ABC Championship | 120,000,000 | ||
| Nov 8-11 | Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters | 150,000,000 | ||
| Nov 15-18 | Dunlop Phoenix | 200,000,000 | ||
| Nov 22-25 | Casio World Open | 140,000,000 | ||
| Nov 29-Dec 2 | Golf Nippon Series JT Cup | 100,000,000 |
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 (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 2006:
- 12: Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki
- 5: Isao Aoki
- 4: Shingo Katayama, Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima
- 2: Toshimitsu Izawa, Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki
Career money leaders
The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2006 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 American Todd Hamilton with earnings of over 630 million ¥.
| Position | Player | Country | Prize Money (¥) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki | Japan | 2,678,005,592 |
| 2 | Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima | Japan | 1,606,029,630 |
| 3 | Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki | Japan | 1,520,862,900 |
| 4 | Shingo Katayama | Japan | 1,131,823,595 |
| 5 | Masahiro "Massy" Kuramoto | Japan | 990,179,784 |
| 6 | Isao Aoki | Japan | 980,652,048 |
| 7 | Toshimitsu Izawa | Japan | 943,133,726 |
| 8 | Toru Taniguchi | Japan | 913,108,376 |
| 9 | David Ishii | United States | 814,695,905 |
| 10 | Hajime Meshiai | Japan | 808,101,257 |
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 link
| Men's Professional Golf Tours | |
|---|---|
| International Federation of PGA Tours Full Members |
Asian Tour · European Tour · Japan Golf Tour · PGA Tour · PGA Tour of Australasia · Sunshine Tour |
| Other tours carrying ranking points | Canadian Tour · Challenge Tour · Nationwide Tour |
| 3rd Tier Tours | Alps Tour · EPD Tour · Gateway Tour · NGA Hooters Tour · PGA EuroPro Tour · US Pro Golf Tour |
| Other Tours | Korean Tour · Japan Challenge Tour · Tour de las Americas · Indian Golf Tour · Omega China Tour · Telia Tour |
| Senior Tours | Champions Tour · European Seniors Tour |
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