Mizuno Open
The Mizuno Open (ミズノオープン, Mizuno ōpun) is a professional golf tournament played in Japan. Founded in 1971, it has been a Japan Golf Tour event since 1979. Since 1998, the event has been prefixed Gateway to The Open (全英への道, Zen'ei eno michi), with the top finishers gaining exemptions into The Open Championship.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kasaoka, Okayama, Japan |
| Established | 1971 |
| Course(s) | JFE Setonaikai Golf Club |
| Par | 72 |
| Length | 7,348 yards (6,719 m) |
| Tour(s) | Japan Golf Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | ¥80,000,000 |
| Month played | May |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 266 Norio Suzuki (1980) |
| To par | −20 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Juvic Pagunsan | |
| Location Map | |
  Setonaikai Golf Club Location in Japan  Setonaikai Golf Club Location in the Okayama Prefecture | |
The Mizuno Open has been held at several course, most recently at Setonaikai Golf Club in Kasaoka, Okayama in 2021.
The purse for the 2021 event was ¥80,000,000, with ¥16,000,000 going to the winner.
History
The Mizuno Open was founded in 1971 as the Mizuno Tournament with both men's and women's events running side-by-side. It was restricted to golfers using at least ten Mizuno clubs. In 1979, fifty leading professionals in Japan were also eligible to compete as the tournament counted towards the Japan Golf Tour money-list ranking for the first time. In 1983 it became a full tour event and in 1985 changed its name to the Mizuno Open. From 1991, the women's event was played separately.[1]
Since 1998, the event has been prefixed "Gateway to The Open", with the top four finishers in the tournament that were not already qualified gaining exemptions into The Open Championship. There has also been a mini-money list of Japan Golf Tour events up to and including the Mizuno Open that earns two exemptions into The Open. From 2007 to 2010 The Mizuno Open merged with the Yomiuri Open to form the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open Yomiuri Classic.
Tournament hosts
| Years | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1998–2006, 2011–2014, 2021 | Setonaikai Golf Club | Kasaoka, Okayama |
| 2018–2019 | The Royal Golf Club | Hokota, Ibaraki |
| 2007–2010 | Yomiuri Country Club | Nishinomiya, Hyōgo |
| 1976–1997 | Tokinodai Country Club | Hakui, Ishikawa |
| 1971–1975 | Anegasaki Country Club | Ichihara, Chiba |
Winners
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- Shortened to 54 holes due to rain.
- Shortened to 54 holes due to fog.
- Shortened to 63 holes due to rain.
Source:[1]
References
- "ミズノオープンの歴史" [History of the Mizuno Open] (in Japanese). Mizuno Open. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- "Arai wins Mizuno golf". Winona Daily News. Winona, Minnesota. AP. 25 June 1984. p. 16. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Veteran arai breaks nine-year lean spell". The Straits Times. AP. 11 August 1981. p. 30. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
- McCormack, Mark H. (1981). Dunhill World of Professional Golf 1981. Collins. pp. 178, 392. ISBN 0862540054.