Sport Golf Director Isao Aoki Most titles Masashi Ozaki (94) | Founded 1973 Country Japan Official website JGTO.org | |
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.
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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 Organization (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.
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.
Multiple money list titles
The following players have won more than one money list title through 2015:
Career money leaders
The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2015 season. The figures shown include money won in the four global major championships from 1998 onwards and in the individual World Golf Championships from 1999 to 2009. The leading non-Japanese money winner on the tour is Australian Brendan Jones with earnings of over ¥884 million (13th place).
There is a full list on the Japan Golf Tour's website here.