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.
[edit] 2012 Schedule
The table below shows the 2012 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 championships and the World Golf Championships). All tournaments are played in Japan.
| Dates |
Tournament |
Location |
Prize fund (￥) |
Winner |
OWGR pts |
| Apr 12-15 |
Token Homemate Cup |
Mie |
130,000,000 |
|
|
| Apr 19-22 |
Tsuruya Open |
Hyōgo |
110,000,000 |
|
|
| Apr 26-29 |
The Crowns |
Aichi |
120,000,000 |
|
|
| May 10-13 |
Japan PGA Championship Nissin Cupnoodle Cup |
Tochigi |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| May 17-20 |
Totoumi Hamamatsu Open |
Shizuoka |
100,000,000 |
|
|
| May 24-27 |
Diamond Cup Golf |
Chiba |
120,000,000 |
|
|
| May 31 - Jun 3 |
Japan Golf Tour Championship Citibank Cup Shishido Hills |
Ibaraki |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Jun 21–24 |
Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open |
Okayama |
110,000,000 |
|
|
| Jul 5-8 |
Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup |
Hokkaidō |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Jul 26-29 |
Sun Chlorella Classic |
Hokkaidō |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Aug 16-19 |
Kansai Open Golf Championship |
Osaka |
60,000,000 |
|
|
| Aug 23-26 |
Vana H Cup KBC Augusta |
Fukuoka |
110,000,000 |
|
|
| Aug 30 - Sep 2 |
Fujisankei Classic |
Yamanashi |
110,000,000 |
|
|
| Sep 6-9 |
Toshin Golf Tournament in Ryosen |
Mie |
80,000,000 |
|
|
| Sep 13-16 |
ANA Open |
Hokkaidō |
110,000,000 |
|
|
| Sep 20-23 |
Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open |
Hyōgo |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Sep 27-30 |
Coca-Cola Tokai Classic |
Aichi |
120,000,000 |
|
|
| Oct 4-7 |
Canon Open |
Kanagawa |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Oct 11-14 |
Japan Open Golf Championship |
Okinawa |
200,000,000 |
|
|
| Oct 18-21 |
Bridgestone Open |
Chiba |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Oct 25-28 |
Mynavi ABC Championship |
Hyōgo |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Nov 8-11 |
Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters |
Shizuoka |
150,000,000 |
|
|
| Nov 15-18 |
Dunlop Phoenix |
Miyazaki |
200,000,000 |
|
|
| Nov 22-25 |
Casio World Open |
Kōchi |
200,000,000 |
|
|
| Nov 29 - Dec 2 |
Golf Nippon Series JT Cup |
Tokyo |
130,000,000 |
|
|
[edit] 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. Through 2009, all of the players who have topped the money list were Japanese nationals, except for the Japanese American David Ishii, but Korean Kim Kyung-tae became the first golfer with non-Japanese origin to top the money list in 2010.
| Year |
Player |
Prize Money (¥) |
| 2011 |
 Bae Sang-moon |
151,078,958 |
| 2010 |
Kim Kyung-tae |
181,103,799 |
| 2009 |
Ryo Ishikawa |
183,524,051 |
| 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 |
[edit] Multiple money list titles
The following players have won more than one money list title through 2010:
[edit] Career money leaders
The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2011 season. The figures shown include money won in the four global major championships from 1998 onwards and in the 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 Australian Brendan Jones with earnings of over 700 million ¥ (22nd place).
| Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize Money (¥) |
| 1 |
Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki |
Japan |
2,688,528,253 |
| 2 |
Shingo Katayama |
Japan |
1,679,479,750 |
| 3 |
Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima |
Japan |
1,650,787,509 |
| 4 |
Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki |
Japan |
1,536,431,900 |
| 5 |
Toru Taniguchi |
Japan |
1,387,853,243 |
| 6 |
Hiroyuki Fujita |
Japan |
1,022,885,103 |
| 7 |
Masahiro "Massy" Kuramoto |
Japan |
1,014,006,023 |
| 8 |
Toshimitsu Izawa |
Japan |
1,006,977,835 |
| 9 |
Isao Aoki |
Japan |
980,652,048 |
| 10 |
David Ishii |
United States |
814,695,905 |
There is a full list on the Japan Golf Tour's website here.
[edit] Records
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
[edit] External links
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| Principal tours |
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| Other tours carrying ranking points |
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| 3rd Tier Tours |
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| Other Tours |
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| Senior Tours |
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2011 Japan Golf Tour
Japan
Bae Sang-moon
David Ishii
