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
Tour(s)Japan Golf Tour
FormatStroke play
Final year1990
Tournament record score
Aggregate129 Tsutomu Irie (1985)
To par−11 as above
Final champion
Yoshimi Niizeki
Location Map
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in Japan
Kuzuha Public Golf Course
Location in 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
YearWinner[3]ScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upRef
1990 Yoshimi Niizeki132−81 stroke Tadao Nakamura
1989 Tōru Nakamura133−71 stroke Satoshi Higashi
1988 Wayne Smith131−92 strokes Yasuhiro Funatogawa
Craig Parry		[4]
1987 Katsunari Takahashi131−91 stroke Brian Jones[5]
1986 Yoshitaka Yamamoto137−3Playoff[lower-alpha 1] Seiichi Kanai[6]
1985 Tsutomu Irie129−113 strokes David Ishii
1984 Norio Suzuki133−71 stroke Wayne Grady
Yasuhiro Miyamoto		[7]
1983 Kikuo Arai138−2Playoff[lower-alpha 2] David Ishii
Teruo Sugihara		[8]
1982 Namio Takasu102[lower-alpha 3]−31 stroke Yoshikazu Yokoshima
1981 Kosaku Shimada133−72 strokes Lu Liang-Huan
Nobumitsu Yuhara		[9]
1980 Yoshikazu Yokoshima134−62 strokes Tsutomu Irie
Shinsaku Maeda
Kenichi Yamada		[10]
1979 Hsieh Min-Nan134−62 strokes Fujio Kobayashi
1978 Akira Yabe135−51 stroke Brian Jones
Yoshikazu Yokoshima		[11]
1977 Greg Norman135−52 strokes Kikuo Arai[12]
1976 Fujio Kobayashi133−71 stroke Chen Chien-chung
Hsieh Min-Nan		[13]
1975 Norio Suzuki133−71 stroke Ted Ball[14]
1974 Namio Takasu131−93 strokes Masashi Ozaki[15]
1973 Han Chang-sang102[lower-alpha 3]Playoff[lower-alpha 4] Graham Marsh[16]
1972 Lu Liang-Huan107[lower-alpha 3]Playoff Walter Godfrey
1971 Guy Wolstenholme139−31 stroke Akio Kanemoto
1970 Hideyo Sugimoto145−12 strokes Kosaku Shimada
1969 Tadashi Kitta136−44 strokes Torakichi Nakamura
1968 Shozo Miyamoto134−62 strokes Susumu Arai
1967 Teruo Sugihara136−8Playoff Hideyo Sugimoto
1966 Tadashi Kitta65−72 strokes Shozo Miyamoto
1965 Teruo Sugihara and
Toichiro Toda		65−7Tien/a
  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. Tournament contested over 27 holes.
  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. "History" (in Japanese). Kuzuha Public Golf Course. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. McCormack, Mark (1989). World of Professional Golf 1989. Collins Willow. pp. 276, 502. ISBN 000218284X.
  5. McCormack, Mark (1988). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1988. Collins Willow. pp. 252, 464–465. ISBN 0002182831.
  6. McCormack, Mark (1987). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1987. Collins Willow. p. 264. ISBN 0002182572.
  7. McCormack, Mark (1985). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1985. Springwood Books. pp. 223, 445–446. ISBN 0862541247.
  8. "Kukuo Arai wins Japan playoff". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. AP. 4 Apr 1983. p. 32. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. McCormack, Mark (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books. pp. 235, 452. ISBN 0862541018.
  10. McCormack, Mark (1981). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1981. Springwood Books. pp. 172, 375–376. ISBN 0862540054.
  11. McCormack, Mark (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday Publishing. pp. 244, 384. ISBN 0385149409.
  12. "Norman wins in Japan". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 18 April 1977. p. 37. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Google News Archive.
  13. "Japan golfer cops tourney". The Honolulu Advertiser. Honolulu, Hawaii. UPI. 19 Apr 1976. p. D-5. Retrieved 25 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. McCormack, Mark (1976). The World of Professional Golf 1976. Collins. pp. 290, 477. ISBN 000211996X.
  15. "Kuzuha title to Takasu". The Straits Times. Singapore. 7 May 1974. p. 22. Retrieved 26 January 2021 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
  16. "Hahn Victor in Kuzuha Golf". The New York Times. AP. 7 May 1973. Retrieved 26 January 2021.


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