The Taiheiyo Masters, titled since 2001 as the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (三井住友Visa太平洋マスターズ, Mitsui sumitomo biza taiheiyō masutāzu) for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. Founded in 1972, it was promoted as the Pacific Masters and for a few years was the richest golf tournament in the world with a prize fund of US$300,000.[1] It remains one of the richest tournaments in Japan, attracting some of the leading international golfers.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan |
| Established | 1972 |
| Course(s) | Taiheiyo Club (Gotemba Course) |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 7,262 yards (6,640 m) |
| Tour(s) | Japan Golf Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | ¥200,000,000 |
| Month played | November |
| Tournament record score | |
| Aggregate | 265 Hideki Matsuyama (2016) |
| To par | −23 as above |
| Current champion | |
 Shugo Imahira | |
| Location map | |
  Taiheiyo Club Location in Japan  Taiheiyo Club Location in the Shizuoka Prefecture | |
The tournament was played at Sobu Country Club near Inzai, Chiba until 1976. Since 1977 it has been contested on Taiheiyo Club's Gotemba Course near Gotemba, Shizuoka. Its title sponsors are Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Visa. Previous names include Taiheiyo Club Masters, Toshiba Taiheiyo Masters, Visa Taiheiyo Club Masters, and Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters.
The inaugural tournament went into a playoff between America's Gay Brewer and Australia's David Graham. It was a three-hole aggregate playoff, the first ever instituted in a golf tournament. Before that, playoffs were either decided in a full round or sudden death. Brewer won the event.[2]
Tournament hosts edit
| Years | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1977–present | Taiheiyo Club, Gotemba Course | Gotemba, Shizuoka |
| 1972–1976 | Sobu Country Club | Inzai, Chiba |
Winners edit
Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records
Sources:[3][4]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ McCormack, Mark (1975). The World of Professional Golf 1975. Collins. p. 255. ISBN 0002119552.
- ^ Mozley, Dana (27 August 1976). "Bohen Snares Met Open Title After 3-Way, 3-Hole Playoff". Daily News. p. 77. Retrieved 19 March 2021 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ 歴代優勝者 - 2015三井住友VISA太平洋マスターズ
- ^ Past Champions
External links edit
- Coverage on the Japan Golf Tour's official site
- Official site (in Japanese)