Japan Golf Tour

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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.

[edit] 2008 Schedule

The table below shows the 2008 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, except the Pine Valley Beijing Open which will be played in China and co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour.

Dates Tournament Prize fund
(￥JPY)		 Winner OWGR pts
Apr 17-20 Token Homemate Cup 110,000,000 Flag of Japan Katsumasa Miyamoto (7) 16
Apr 24-27 Tsuruya Open 120,000,000 Flag of South Korea Hur Suk-ho (7) 16
May 1-4 The Crowns 120,000,000 Flag of Japan Tomohiro Kondo (4) 16
May 8-11 Pine Valley Beijing Open 110,000,000 Flag of Japan Hiroyuki Fujita (6) 16
May 15-18 Japan PGA Championship 130,000,000 Flag of Japan Shingo Katayama (24) 16
May 22-25 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup 100,000,000 Flag of Japan Hideto Tanihara (7) 16
May 29-Jun 1 Mitsubishi Diamond Cup Golf 110,000,000 Flag of Thailand Prayad Marksaeng (1) 18
Jun 19-22 Gateway to the Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic 130,000,000
Jul 3-6 UBS Japan Golf Tour Championship ShishidoHills 150,000,000
Jul 24-27 Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup 150,000,000
Jul 31-Aug 3 Sun Chlorella Classic 150,000,000
Aug 28-31 KBC Augusta 100,000,000
Sep 4-7 Fujisankei Classic 150,000,000
Sep 18-21 ANA Open 130,000,000
Sep 25-28 Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open 200,000,000
Oct 2-5 Coca-Cola Tokai Classic 120,000,000
Oct 9-12 Canon Open 200,000,000
Oct 16-19 Japan Open Golf Championship 200,000,000
Oct 23-26 Bridgestone Open 110,000,000
Oct 30-Nov 2 mynavi ABC Championship 150,000,000
Nov 6-9 The Championship by Lexus 200,000,000
Nov 13-16 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters 150,000,000
Nov 20-23 Dunlop Phoenix 200,000,000
Nov 27-30 Casio World Open 140,000,000
Dec 4-7 Golf Nippon Series JT Cup 100,000,000

[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. All of the players who have topped the money list are Japanese nationals, except for the Japanese American David Ishii.

Year Player Prize Money (¥)
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 2007:

[edit] Career money leaders

The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2007 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 Minoza with earnings of over 650 million ¥.

Position Player Country Prize Money (¥)
1 Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki Japan 2,680,814,317
2 Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima Japan 1,614,624,796
3 Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki Japan 1,522,902,900
4 Shingo Katayama Japan 1,272,877,529
5 Toru Taniguchi Japan 1,084,852,874
6 Masahiro "Massy" Kuramoto Japan 998,376,450
7 Toshimitsu Izawa Japan 991,483,808
8 Isao Aoki Japan 980,652,048
9 David Ishii United States 814,695,905
10 Hajime Meshiai Japan 812,439,632

There is a full list on the Japan Golf Tour's website here.

[edit] Records

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Men's Professional Golf Tours
Full members of the
International Federation of PGA Tours
Other tours carrying ranking points
3rd Tier Tours
Other Tours
Senior Tours