Kim chasing Japan Open defence
BY Bruce Young | Japan Tour | 2011 Japan Open | Preview | 11 Oct 2011
The Japan Open, arguably still the most prestigious of events on the Japan Golf Tour, is played this week at the Tokanodai Country Club in Chiba Prefecture in the Greater Tokyo region.
This will be the second occasion the event has been played at this venue, the first coming in 2000.
The brilliant Korean golfer Kyung tae Kim is not only the defending champion but he is the leading world ranked player in the field following a remarkable run of consistent performances in USPGA Tour, Japan Tour and Korean Tour events in the last twelve months.
When entering this event last year Kim was the 63rd ranked player in the world. Heading into this week’s Japan Open he is now number 22 and a member of the International Presidents Cup team.
The favourite in most people’s eyes however will be Japan’s favourite golfing son, Ryo Ishikawa, who has yet to win his own national open but two years ago was beaten in a playoff.
Like all golfers worldwide, a national open of their own country is perhaps the event they most wish to win outside of golf’s four major championships and like his fellow Presidents Cup team member, Kim, Ishikawa is a great chance this week.
Korea’s Sang Bae Moon leads the Japan Tour money list in 2011 but he surprisingly missed the cut in his own national open last week in Incheon. His form prior to that in Japan this year has been simply stunning however including his victory at the Tokai Classic and he, Kim and Ishikawa will head the favouritism as this event gets underway.
The growing list of Australasians playing the Japan Golf Tour will ensure a significant representation of such players in this week’s field. They are headed by the leader of that group on this year’s money list, Brendan Jones, who earlier in the season won another of the flagship events in Japan, The Crowns.
Jones has yet to win the Japan Open amongst his ten titles on the Japan Golf Tour, many of them high profile events, so a win this week would go nicely on his golfing CV.
Last week’s runner-up Brad Kennedy plays his first Japan Open Championship and after what has been an outstanding rookie season to date he should do well.
Former winner, Paul Sheehan, David Smail, Steve Conran, Chris Campbell and rookie Neven Basic are in the field although perhaps surprisingly Kurt Barnes a winner on the Japan Golf Tour this season is not.
The tournament carries a total purse of ￥200,000,000 (equiv $A2.6 million) with ￥40,000,000 (A$520,000) to the winner.
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