Japan Golf Tour


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 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 Organization, which was established in 1999 to separate the tour from the PGA of Japan. 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.
Entry to The Open Championship is given to Order of Merit winner and runner-up, Japan Open Golf Championship winner, two players not already exempt from the money list up to the Japan Golf Tour Championship, and the top four non-exempt players from the Mizuno Open.

2020 schedule

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.
YearPlayerCountryPrize money
2019Shugo Imahira 168,049,312
2018Shugo Imahira 139,119,332
2017Yūsaku Miyazato182,831,982
2016Yuta Ikeda207,901,567
2015Kim Kyung-tae 165,981,625
2014Koumei Oda137,318,693
2013Hideki Matsuyama201,076,781
2012Hiroyuki Fujita175,159,972
2011Bae Sang-moon151,078,958
2010Kim Kyung-tae 181,103,799
2009Ryo Ishikawa183,524,051
2008Shingo Katayama 180,094,895
2007Toru Taniguchi 171,744,498
2006Shingo Katayama 178,402,190
2005Shingo Katayama 134,075,280
2004Shingo Katayama 119,512,374
2003Toshimitsu Izawa 135,454,300
2002Toru Taniguchi 145,440,341
2001Toshimitsu Izawa 217,934,583
2000Shingo Katayama 177,116,489
1999Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki 137,641,796
1998Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 179,627,400
1997Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 170,847,633
1996Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 209,646,746
1995Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 192,319,800
1994Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 215,468,000
1993Hajime Meshiai148,718,200
1992Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 186,816,466
1991Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki 119,507,974
1990Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 129,060,500
1989Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 108,715,733
1988Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 125,162,540
1987David Ishii86,554,421
1986Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima 90,202,066
1985Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima 101,609,333
1984Shinsaku Maeda57,040,357
1983Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima 85,514,183
1982Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima 68,220,640
1981Isao Aoki 57,262,941
1980Isao Aoki 60,532,660
1979Isao Aoki 45,554,211
1978Isao Aoki 62,987,200
1977Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 35,932,608
1976Isao Aoki 40,985,801
1975Takashi Murakami38,705,551
1974Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 41,846,908
1973Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 43,814,000

Multiple money list titles

The following players have won more than one money list title through 2019:
TitlesPlayerCountry
12Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki
5Isao Aoki
5Shingo Katayama
4Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima
2Toshimitsu Izawa
2Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki
2Toru Taniguchi
2Kim Kyung-tae
2Shugo Imahira

Career money leaders

The table shows the top ten career money leaders on the Japan Golf Tour through the 2019 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.
PositionPlayerCountryPrize money
1Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki2,688,836,653
2Shingo Katayama2,219,787,405
3Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima1,664,953,541
4Toru Taniguchi1,655,033,756
5Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki1,545,609,713
6Hiroyuki Fujita1,522,057,750
7Yuta Ikeda1,207,748,995
8Katsumasa Miyamoto1,140,211,825
9Brendan Jones1,094,192,410
10Hideto Tanihara1,080,542,691

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

Records