Mynavi ABC Championship
The Mynavi ABC Championship (マイナビABCチャンピオンシップゴルフトーナメント, Mainabi ei-bī-shī champyon gorufu tōnamento) is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played at the ABC Golf Club in Katō, Hyōgo, usually in October or November. It was founded in 1971 as a Japan vs. United States team match (there was also individual prize money and the event counted as an official win on tour). In 1988, it became a full-field individual event. The event is sponsored by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and Mynavi Corporation.
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | Katō, Hyōgo, Japan |
Established | 1971 |
Course(s) | ABC Golf Club |
Par | 72 |
Length | 7,217 yards (6,599 m) |
Tour(s) | Japan Golf Tour |
Format | Stroke play |
Prize fund | ¥120,000,000 |
Month played | November |
Tournament record score | |
Aggregate | 263 Ryuichi Oda (2014) |
To par | −23 Shingo Katayama (2003) |
Current champion | |
Mikumu Horikawa | |
Location Map | |
ABC GC Location in Japan ABC GC Location in the Hyōgo Prefecture |
History
The tournament was founded in 1971 as the Miki Gold Cup, a nine-man team match between golfers from Japan and the United States. Results were based on the aggregate of the best seven scores from each team after 54 holes of stroke play competition; there was also a prize for the best individual score. The event was renamed as the ABC Cup in 1972. The following year, the best eight scores were used to determine the winner, and in 1975 the event was extended to 72 holes.
Between 1982 and 1984 the event was titled as the Goldwin Cup[1] (1982–83) and the Uchida Yoko Cup (1984), during which time it was contested as stroke play matches with two points were awarded for a match win and one point for a tie. The first two rounds were played as better ball pairs and the final two rounds as singles, from which the scores were used to determine the individual winner. In 1985 the event reverted to its earlier format and name.
In 1988, the tournament became a regular 72 hole stroke play event on the Japan Golf Tour, since when it has always been held at ABC Golf Club in Katō, Hyōgo. Sponsored by Philip Morris International, it was titled using the Lark brand as the ABC Lark Cup or Lark Cup for five years, until 1994 when it became the Philip Morris Championship. After Philip Morris sponsorship came to an end, in 2003 the event became titled the ABC Championship, with Mynavi being added as title sponsor in 2008.
Tournament hosts
Years | Venue | Location |
---|---|---|
1988–present | ABC Golf Club | Katō, Hyōgo |
1983 | Taiheiyo Club (Rokko Course) | Hyōgo |
1982, 1984 | Sobhu Country Club (Sobhu Course) | Inzai, Chiba |
1979–1981, 1985–1987 | Sports Shinko Country Club | Kawanishi, Hyōgo |
1976–1978 | Harima Country Club | Ono, Hyōgo |
1975 | Ibaraki Kokusai Golf Club | Ibaraki, Osaka |
1973–1974 | Hashimoto Country Club | Hashimoto, Wakayama |
1972 | Ikeda Country Club | Ikeda, Osaka |
1971 | Perfect Liberty (PL) Country Club | Tondabayashi, Osaka |
Winners
Japan vs USA team matches
Year | Winning team | Score[lower-alpha 2] | Margin of victory | Individual winner(s) | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ABC Japan-U.S. Match | |||||||||
1987 | Japan | 2,227 | 3 strokes | Andy Bean | 269 | −19 | 5 strokes | Masahiro Kuramoto | |
1986 | United States | 2,229 | 7 strokes | Curtis Strange | 271 | −17 | 4 strokes | Chip Beck | |
1985 | Japan | 2,557 | 2 strokes | Tateo Ozaki Corey Pavin | 276 | −12 | Title shared | [2] | |
Uchida Yoko Cup Japan vs USA Match | |||||||||
1984 | United States | 30–18 | Tom Watson (2) | 135 | −7 | 1 stroke | Mark O'Meara Naomichi Ozaki | [3] | |
Goldwin Cup Japan vs USA | |||||||||
1983 | United States | 29–19 | Tsuneyuki Nakajima | 141 | −3 | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin | [4] | |
1982 | United States | 33–15 | Bob Gilder Calvin Peete | 134 | −10 | Title shared | [5] | ||
ABC Cup Japan vs USA | |||||||||
1981 | United States | 2,246 | 35 strokes | Bobby Clampett | 271 | −17 | 7 strokes | Akira Yabe | [6] |
ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches | |||||||||
1980 | Japan United States | 2,280 | Tie | Jerry Pate | 276 | −12 | 1 stroke | Tom Purtzer Norio Suzuki | [7] |
1979 | Japan | 2,306 | 5 strokes | Tom Purtzer | 276 | −12 | 10 strokes | Bill Rogers | [8] |
1978 | Japan | 2,273 | 53 strokes | Isao Aoki (2) | 273 | −15 | 5 strokes | Kosaku Shimada | [9] |
1977 | Japan | 2,079 | 2 strokes | Isao Aoki | 280 | −8 | 2 strokes | Tom Weiskopf | [10] |
1976 | Japan | 2,273 | 15 strokes | Tom Watson | 277 | −11 | 3 strokes | Isao Aoki | [11] |
1975 | Japan | 2,266 | 42 strokes | Tōru Nakamura | 273 | −15 | 7 strokes | Al Geiberger | [12] |
1974 | United States | 1,752 | 9 strokes | Teruo Sugihara | 209 | −7 | 1 stroke | Hubert Green | [13] |
1973 | Japan | 1,785 | 17 strokes | Al Geiberger | 218 | +2 | 2 strokes | Takashi Murakami | [14] |
1972 | United States | 1,488 | 18 strokes | Tommy Aaron | 209 | −4 | 1 stroke | Bert Yancey | [15] |
Miki Gold Cup | |||||||||
1971 | United States | 1,484 | 9 strokes | Billy Casper Masashi Ozaki | 208 | −8 | Title shared | [16] |
Notes
- Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
- Aggregate scores counting best 7 from 9 in 1971 and 1972; aggregate scores counting best 8 from 9 between 1973 and 1981, and from 1985; matches with 2 points for a win, 1 for a tie between 1982 and 1984.
References
- "U.S. and Japan champs to collide in November". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. AP. 11 August 1982. p. C10. Retrieved 3 February 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Japan golfers top Americans match". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. UPI. 4 November 1985. p. 18. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "U.S. golfers defeat Japan". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. 5 November 1984. p. 4-C. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Eight U.S. golfers win Goldwin Cup Championship". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, Texas. AP. 14 November 1983. p. 4-B. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Gilder, Peete lead U.S. over Japan in team event". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. AP. 8 November 1982. p. C4. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Clampett, US easy winners". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 9 November 1981. p. 31. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
- "Pate's victory earns U.S. tie with Japan match". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. 10 November 1980. p. Sports 2. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Japan comeback sinks U.S. linkers in dual match". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. AP. 12 November 1979. p. 4. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Aoki lifts Japan past U.S. golfers". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. AP. 13 November 1978. p. 2-7. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Golf: Aoki leads Japan to close victory over US". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 14 November 1977. p. 25. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Japanese stops U.S. in golf". The Ithaca Journal. Ithaca, New York. AP. 6 December 1976. p. 19. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Japanese golfers whip Yanks in 5th tourney". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. AP. 25 November 1975. p. 11. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
- "Green sparks U.S. win". Asbury Park Press. Asbury, New Jersey. Associated Press. 3 December 1974. p. C5. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Japanese defeat U.S.". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. AP. 26 November 1973. p. 46. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Aaron leads U.S. win". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Associated Press. 6 November 1972. p. 22. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Palmer comes into his own – second". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Province Wire Services. 8 November 1971. p. 19. Retrieved 13 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.