Kirin Open

The Kirin Open was a golf tournament in Japan. It was founded in 1972 as the season ending event on the Asia Golf Circuit, replacing the Yomiuri International which had been cancelled when sponsors decided to discontinue the event.^[1][2] It was also a fixture on the Japan Golf Tour from 1974 until 2001.

Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Kirin Open

Tournament information
Location	Ibaraki, Ibaraki, Japan
Established	1972
Course(s)	Ibaraki Golf Club
Par	71
Length	7,049 yards (6,446 m)
Tour(s)	Asia Golf Circuit Japan Golf Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	¥100,000,000
Month played	April
Final year	2001
Tournament record score
Aggregate	265 Kuo Chie-Hsiung (1978)
To par	−23 as above
Final champion
Shingo Katayama
Location Map
Ibaraki GC Location in Japan Show map of Japan Ibaraki GC Location in the Ibaraki Prefecture Show map of Ibaraki Prefecture

It was played at Sobu Country Club in Inzai until 1976. In 1977 Dunlop became title sponsors and the tournament was moved to Ibaraki Golf Club in Ibaraki.

Winners

Year	Tour(s)^[a]	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Ref.
Asia Pacific Open Golf Championship Kirin Open
2001	JPN	Shingo Katayama (2)	271	−13	6 strokes	Hajime Meshiai
2000	JPN	Shingo Katayama	280	−4	2 strokes	Lin Keng-chi   Peter Senior   Andre Stolz
Kirin Open
1999	AGC, JPN	K. J. Choi	204^[b]	−9	Playoff^[c]	Jeev Milkha Singh	^[3]
1998	AGC, JPN	Frankie Miñoza (2)	279	−5	1 stroke	Hidemichi Tanaka   Tsukasa Watanabe   Brian Watts
1997	AGC, JPN	Kim Jong-duck	278	−10	2 strokes	Shigeki Maruyama   Hirofumi Miyase   Tateo Ozaki   Brian Watts
1996	AGC, JPN	Yoshinori Kaneko	278	−10	1 stroke	Tsuneyuki Nakajima   Nobuo Serizawa
Dunlop Open
1995	AGC, JPN	Peter Senior	279	−9	5 strokes	Brian Watts	^[4]
1994	AGC, JPN	Masashi Ozaki (4)	274	−14	1 stroke	Hsieh Chin-sheng	^[5]
1993	AGC, JPN	Hajime Meshiai	275	−13	2 strokes	Katsunari Takahashi   Kevin Wentworth	^[6]
1992	AGC, JPN	Masashi Ozaki (3)	286	−2	Playoff^[d]	Brent Franklin	^[7]
1991	AGC, JPN	Roger Mackay	272	−16	2 strokes	Teruo Sugihara	^[8]
1990	AGC, JPN	Frankie Miñoza	205^[b]	−11	Playoff^[e]	Teruo Sugihara	^[9]
1989	AGC, JPN	Terry Gale	284	−4	1 stroke	Chen Tze-ming   Peter Senior	^[10]
1988	AGC, JPN	Masashi Ozaki (2)	278	−10	3 strokes	David Ishii	^[11]
Dunlop International Open
1987	AGC, JPN	Isao Aoki	277	−11	1 stroke	Tsuneyuki Nakajima   Yoshitaka Yamamoto	^[12]
1986	AGC, JPN	Hideto Shigenobu	281	−7	2 strokes	David Ishii   Masahiro Kuramoto	^[13]
1985	AGC, JPN	Chen Tze-chung	277	−11	1 stroke	Tsuneyuki Nakajima	^[14]
1984	AGC, JPN	John Jacobs	283	−5	2 strokes	Tateo Ozaki	^[15]
1983	AGC, JPN	Larry Nelson	201^[b]	−15	1 stroke	Masahiro Kuramoto	^[16]^[17]
1982	AGC, JPN	Tsuneyuki Nakajima	276	−12	5 strokes	Saburo Fujiki	^[18]
1981	AGC, JPN	Kosaku Shimada	286	−2	2 strokes	Payne Stewart   Koichi Uehara   Akira Yabe	^[19]
1980	AGC, JPN	Masashi Ozaki	277	−11	5 strokes	Ho Ming-chung   Graham Marsh	^[20]
1979	AGC, JPN	Hiroshi Ishii	278	−10	3 strokes	Seiji Ebihara   Tateo Ozaki   Katsunari Takahashi	^[21]
1978	AGC, JPN	Kuo Chie-Hsiung	265	−23	11 strokes	Bob Byman	^[22]
1977	AGC, JPN	Ben Arda (2)	282	−6	2 strokes	Terry Kendall   Tsuneyuki Nakajima	^[23]
Sobu International Open
1976	AGC, JPN	Ben Arda	277	−11	4 strokes	Chen Chien-chung	^[24]
1975	AGC, JPN	Teruo Sugihara	282	−6	2 strokes	Ted Ball   Hsu Sheng-san   Hideyo Sugimoto	^[25]
1974	AGC, JPN	Lu Liang-Huan	280	−8	4 strokes	Masashi Ozaki   Fumio Tanaka	^[26]
1973	AGC	Shigeru Uchida	279	−9	Playoff^[f]	Masashi Ozaki	^[27]
1972	AGC	Hsieh Min-Nan	279	−9	2 strokes	Ben Arda	^[28]

Notes

1. AGC − Asia Golf Circuit; JPN − Japan Golf Tour.
2. Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
3. Choi won on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.
4. Ozaki won on the first hole of a sudden death playoff.
5. Miñoza won with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden death playoff.
6. Uchida won with a 180-yard hole-out for eagle on the third hole of a sudden death playoff.

References

1. "Asian golf circuit gets underway". New Nation. 24 February 1972. p. 14. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
2. "Yomiuri is out". New Nation. 9 February 1972. p. 19. Retrieved 7 February 2020 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
3. "Kirin Open". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. 26 April 1999. p. 36. Retrieved 21 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 24 April 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
5. "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 April 1994. p. 21. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
6. "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 April 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
7. "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 April 1992. p. 18. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
8. "International Results – Golf". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 29 April 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
9. McCormack, Mark H. (1991). The World of Professional Golf 1991. Chapmans. pp. 283, 524. ISBN 1855925583.
10. "Surprise win for Gale". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 April 1989. p. 19. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Trove.
11. "Sport Summary – Golf – Dunlop Open". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 25 April 1988. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
12. "Aoki A-okay for Dunlop crown". The Straits Times. Singapore. 27 April 1987. p. 2. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
13. McCormack, Mark H. (1987). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1987. Collins Willow. p. 473. ISBN 0002182572.
14. "Chen's day again". The Straits Times. Singapore. 29 April 1985. p. 24. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
15. McCormack, Mark H. (1985). Ebel World of Professional Golf 1985. Springwood Books Ltd. p. 451. ISBN 0862541247.
16. "Nicklaus leads the elite". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1983. p. 41. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
17. "Eagle does it for Nelson". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 April 1983. p. 39. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
18. "Shearer one off lead". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 26 April 1982. p. 25. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
19. McCormack, Mark H. (1982). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1982. Springwood Books Ltd. p. 448. ISBN 0862541018.
20. "Ozaki hits 70 to finish 5 strokes ahead". The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 April 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
21. "Veteran Ishii triumphs in Japan Open". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1979. p. 28. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
22. McCormack, Mark H. (1979). Dunhill Golf Yearbook 1979. Doubleday Publishing. p. 385. ISBN 0385149409.
23. "Veteran has good win". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 25 April 1977. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.
24. "Arda wins right to play in British, US meets". The Straits Times. Singapore. 26 April 1976. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
25. "Veteran Sugihara storms way to Sobhu title, but Hsieh again takes circuit prize". The Straits Times. Singapore. 21 April 1975. p. 26. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
26. "Lu cards a 70 to win Sobu Open". The Straits Times. Singapore. 22 April 1974. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
27. "Uchida beats Ozaki". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 April 1973. p. 23. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
28. "Marsh wins circuit prize". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 24 April 1972. p. 27. Retrieved 22 February 2020 – via Google News Archive.

External links

• Coverage on Japan Golf Tour's official site