Shunsuke Sonoda

Shunsuke Sonoda
薗田 峻輔
Personal information
Born (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35)
Tokyo, Japan
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight86 kg (190 lb; 13.5 st)
Sporting nationality Japan
ResidenceTokyo, Japan
Career
CollegeMeiji University
Turned professional2010
Current tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
Professional wins3
Highest ranking89 (2 January 2011)[1]
Number of wins by tour
Japan Golf Tour2
Other1
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenCUT: 2015
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 2010
Achievements and awards
Japan Golf Tour
Rookie of the Year		2010

Shunsuke Sonoda (薗田 峻輔, Sonoda Shunsuke, born 26 September 1989) is a Japanese professional golfer.

Early life and amateur career

Sonoda was born in Tokyo. He was first trained by his father. After that he has been taught by golf teaching pro, Todd Baker, since he was 10 years old. When Sonoda visited Gold Coast, Australia with his family at age 13, he decided to study in Gold Coast because the town has many golf courses. He spent two years in a junior high school there to pursue his golf game further. He won the Japan National Junior Golf Championship. He decided to return Japan to enter the Suginami-Gakuin High School. He was a high school teammate of Ryo Ishikawa. Ishikawa calls him "King" as he swept all the junior tournaments. They first met in elementary school. In his sophomore year at the Meiji University, he qualified for Japan Golf Tour.

Professional career

Sonoda began playing on the Japan Golf Tour in 2010 and won the 2010 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic. This victory earned him an exemption into the 2010 Open Championship.

Professional wins (3)

Japan Golf Tour wins (2)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runner(s)-up
1 27 Jun 2010 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic −15 (70-65-66=201)* 3 strokes Japan Toru Taniguchi
2 7 Jul 2013 Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup −20 (69-71-61-67=268) 3 strokes Japan Tomohiro Kondo, Japan Yuki Kono

*Note: The 2010 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic was shortened to 54 holes due to rain.

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (0–2)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2010 Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup South Korea Cho Min-gyu, Japan Mamo Osanai Osanai won with par on fourth extra hole
Sonoda eliminated by par on second hole
2 2010 Fujisankei Classic Japan Ryo Ishikawa Lost to par on fourth extra hole

Other wins (1)

  • 2008 Sponichi Cup (as an amateur)

Results in major championships

Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Masters Tournament
U.S. Open CUT
The Open Championship CUT
PGA Championship
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

Results in World Golf Championships

Tournament 2010
Match Play
Championship
Invitational
Champions T58
  Did not play

"T" = Tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

References

  1. ^ "Week 1 2011 Ending 2 Jan 2011" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 29 October 2019.