Kuzuha International

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]

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

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
YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upRef
1990Japan Yoshimi Niizeki132−81 strokeJapan Tadao Nakamura
1989Japan Tōru Nakamura133−71 strokeJapan Satoshi Higashi
1988Australia Wayne Smith131−92 strokesJapan Yasuhiro Funatogawa
Australia Craig Parry		[3]
1987Japan Katsunari Takahashi131−91 strokeAustralia Brian Jones[4]
1986Japan Yoshitaka Yamamoto137−3Playoff[lower-alpha 1]Japan Seiichi Kanai[5]
1985Japan Tsutomu Irie129−113 strokesUnited States David Ishii
1984Japan Norio Suzuki133−71 strokeAustralia Wayne Grady
Japan Yasuhiro Miyamoto		[6]
1983Japan Kikuo Arai138−2Playoff[lower-alpha 2]United States David Ishii
Japan Teruo Sugihara		[7]
1982Japan Namio Takasu102[lower-alpha 3]−31 strokeJapan Yoshikazu Yokoshima
1981Japan Kosaku Shimada133−72 strokesTaiwan Lu Liang-Huan
Japan Nobumitsu Yuhara		[8]
1980Japan Yoshikazu Yokoshima134−62 strokesJapan Tsutomu Irie
Japan Shinsaku Maeda
Japan Kenichi Yamada		[9]
1979Taiwan Hsieh Min-Nan134−62 strokesJapan Fujio Kobayashi
1978Japan Akira Yabe135−51 strokeAustralia Brian Jones
Japan Yoshikazu Yokoshima		[10]
1977Australia Greg Norman135−52 strokesJapan Kikuo Arai[11]
1976Japan Fujio Kobayashi133−71 strokeTaiwan Chen Chien-chung
Taiwan Hsieh Min-Nan		[12]
1975Japan Norio Suzuki133−71 strokeAustralia Ted Ball[13]
1974Japan Namio Takasu131−93 strokesJapan Masashi Ozaki[14]
1973South Korea Han Chang-sang102[lower-alpha 3]Playoff[lower-alpha 4]Australia Graham Marsh[15]
1972Taiwan Lu Liang-Huan107[lower-alpha 3]PlayoffNew Zealand Walter Godfrey
1971England Guy Wolstenholme139−31 strokeJapan Akio Kanemoto
1970Japan Hideyo Sugimoto145−12 strokesJapan Kosaku Shimada
1969Japan Tadashi Kitta136−44 strokesJapan Torakichi Nakamura
1968Japan Shozo Miyamoto134−62 strokesJapan Susumu Arai
1967Japan Teruo Sugihara136−8PlayoffJapan Hideyo Sugimoto
1966Japan Tadashi Kitta65−72 strokesJapan Shozo Miyamoto
1965Japan Teruo Sugihara and
Japan Toichiro Toda		65−7Tien/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. 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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