Kuzuha International

Kuzuha International
Tournament information
LocationHirakata, Osaka, Japan
Established1965
Course(s)Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Par70
Tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fund¥15,000,000
Final year1990
Tournament record score
Aggregate129 Tsutomu Irie (1985)
To par−11 as above
Final champion
Japan Yoshimi Niizeki
Location map
Kuzuha Public Golf Course is located in Japan
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in Japan
Kuzuha Public Golf Course is located in Osaka Prefecture
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in the Osaka Prefecture

The Kuzuha International was a professional golf tournament in Japan between 1965 and 1990. It was played at the Kuzuha Public Golf Course in Kuzuha, Hirakata, Osaka. From 1978 to 1983, it was a Japan Golf Tour event.[1]

In 1985, Tsutomu Irie became the first player to break the 60 barrier in major professional tournament in Japan when he scored 59 (11 under par) in the first round.[2]

History

The first two editions were a five-man invitation event played over 18 holes, after which it was a larger single-day 36-hole tournament. The first international players competed in 1971. It was reduced to a 27-hole event in 1972 and 1973, before becoming a two-day 36 hole tournament from 1974.

Winners

Year Winner Score To par Margin of
victory		 Runner(s)-up Ref
1990 Japan Yoshimi Niizeki 132 −8 1 stroke Japan Tadao Nakamura
1989 Japan Tōru Nakamura 133 −7 1 stroke Japan Satoshi Higashi
1988 Australia Wayne Smith 131 −9 2 strokes Japan Yasuhiro Funatogawa
Australia Craig Parry		 [3]
1987 Japan Katsunari Takahashi 131 −9 1 stroke Australia Brian Jones [4]
1986 Japan Yoshitaka Yamamoto 137 −3 Playoff[a] Japan Seiichi Kanai [5]
1985 Japan Tsutomu Irie 129 −11 3 strokes United States David Ishii
1984 Japan Norio Suzuki 133 −7 1 stroke Australia Wayne Grady
Japan Yasuhiro Miyamoto		 [6]
1983 Japan Kikuo Arai 138 −2 Playoff[b] United States David Ishii
Japan Teruo Sugihara		 [7]
1982 Japan Namio Takasu 102[c] −3 1 stroke Japan Yoshikazu Yokoshima
1981 Japan Kosaku Shimada 133 −7 2 strokes Taiwan Lu Liang-Huan
Japan Nobumitsu Yuhara		 [8]
1980 Japan Yoshikazu Yokoshima 134 −6 2 strokes Japan Tsutomu Irie
Japan Shinsaku Maeda
Japan Kenichi Yamada		 [9]
1979 Taiwan Hsieh Min-Nan 134 −6 2 strokes Japan Fujio Kobayashi
1978 Japan Akira Yabe 135 −5 1 stroke Australia Brian Jones
Japan Yoshikazu Yokoshima		 [10]
1977 Australia Greg Norman 135 −5 2 strokes Japan Kikuo Arai [11]
1976 Japan Fujio Kobayashi 133 −7 1 stroke Taiwan Chen Chien-chung
Taiwan Hsieh Min-Nan		 [12]
1975 Japan Norio Suzuki 133 −7 1 stroke Australia Ted Ball [13]
1974 Japan Namio Takasu 131 −9 3 strokes Japan Masashi Ozaki [14]
1973 South Korea Han Chang-sang 102[c] Playoff[d] Australia Graham Marsh [15]
1972 Taiwan Lu Liang-Huan 107[c] Playoff New Zealand Walter Godfrey
1971 England Guy Wolstenholme 139 −3 1 stroke Japan Akio Kanemoto
1970 Japan Hideyo Sugimoto 145 −1 2 strokes Japan Kosaku Shimada
1969 Japan Tadashi Kitta 136 −4 4 strokes Japan Torakichi Nakamura
1968 Japan Shozo Miyamoto 134 −6 2 strokes Japan Susumu Arai
1967 Japan Teruo Sugihara 136 −8 Playoff Japan Hideyo Sugimoto
1966 Japan Tadashi Kitta 65 −7 2 strokes Japan Shozo Miyamoto
1965 Japan Teruo Sugihara and
Japan Toichiro Toda		 65 −7 Tie n/a

Source:[16]

Notes

  1. ^ Yamamoto won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.
  2. ^ Arai won with a par on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff; Sugimoto was eliminated when he made a bogey on the second extra hole.
  3. ^ a b c Shortened to 27 holes due to weather.
  4. ^ Han won with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

References

  1. ^ "Tour 1978"."Tour 1979"."Tour 1980"."Tour 1981"."Tour 1982"."Tour 1983". Japan Golf Tour Organization. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Irie fires lowest score in Japan's pro history". Singapore Monitor. Reuter. 7 April 1985 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  3. ^ McCormack, Mark (1989). World of Professional Golf 1989. Collins Willow. pp. 276, 502. ISBN 000218284X.
  4. ^ McCormack, Mark (1988). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1988. Collins Willow. pp. 252, 464–465. ISBN 0002182831.
  5. ^ McCormack, Mark (1987). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1987. Collins Willow. p. 264. ISBN 0002182572.
  6. ^ McCormack, Mark (1985). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1985. Springwood Books. pp. 223, 445–446. ISBN 0862541247.
  7. ^ "Kukuo Arai wins Japan playoff". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. AP. 4 Apr 1983. p. 32. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ McCormack, Mark (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books. pp. 235, 452. ISBN 0862541018.
  9. ^ McCormack, Mark (1981). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1981. Springwood Books. pp. 172, 375–376. ISBN 0862540054.
  10. ^ McCormack, Mark (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday Publishing. pp. 244, 384. ISBN 0385149409.
  11. ^ "Norman wins in Japan". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 18 April 1977. p. 37. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  12. ^ "Japan golfer cops tourney". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. UPI. 19 Apr 1976. p. D-5. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ McCormack, Mark (1976). The World of Professional Golf 1976. Collins. pp. 290, 477. ISBN 000211996X.
  14. ^ "Kuzuha title to Takasu". The Straits Times. Singapore. 7 May 1974. p. 22. Retrieved 26 January 2021 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  15. ^ "Hahn Victor in Kuzuha Golf". The New York Times. AP. 7 May 1973. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  16. ^ "History" (in Japanese). Kuzuha Public Golf Course. Retrieved 25 January 2021.


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