The Taiheiyo Masters, titled since 2001 as the 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. It remains one of the richest tournaments in Japan, attracting some of the leading international golfers.
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.
Tournament hosts Years Venue Location 1977–present Taiheiyo Club, Gotemba Course Gotemba, Shizuoka 1972–1976 Sobu Country Club Inzai, Chiba
Winners YearTourWinnerScoreTo parMargin ofvictoryRunner(s)-upMitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters 2025 JPN Kota Kaneko 263 −17 6 strokes Lee Sang-hee 2024 JPN Ryo Ishikawa (4) 269 −11 1 stroke Riki Kawamoto Hideto Tanihara 2023 JPN Shugo Imahira 268 −12 1 stroke Taiki Yoshida 2022 JPN Ryo Ishikawa (3) 272 −8 Playoff Rikuya Hoshino 2021 JPN Hideto Tanihara (2) 274 −6 1 stroke Takumi Kanaya 2020 JPN Jinichiro Kozuma 272 −8 1 stroke Ryosuke Kinoshita 2019 JPN Takumi Kanaya (a) 267 −13 1 stroke Shaun Norris 2018 JPN Tatsunori Nukaga 201 −9 2 strokes Kim Seung-hyuk 2017 JPN Satoshi Kodaira 270 −18 3 strokes Yūsaku Miyazato 2016 JPN Hideki Matsuyama (2) 265 −23 7 strokes Song Young-han 2015 JPN Shingo Katayama (2) 202 −14 1 stroke Thanyakon Khrongpha 2014 JPN David Oh 276 −12 1 stroke Toshinori Muto 2013 JPN Hideto Tanihara 275 −13 1 stroke Ryo Ishikawa Masahiro Kawamura Tomohiro Kondo 2012 JPN Ryo Ishikawa (2) 273 −15 1 stroke Michio Matsumura 2011 JPN Hideki Matsuyama (a) 203 −13 2 strokes Toru Taniguchi 2010 JPN Ryo Ishikawa 274 −14 2 strokes Brendan Jones 2009 JPN Yasuharu Imano 275 –13 2 strokes Kenichi Kuboya Han Lee 2008 JPN Shingo Katayama 272 −16 Playoff Yasuharu Imano 2007 JPN Brendan Jones 274 −14 1 stroke Toru Taniguchi 2006 JPN Tsuneyuki Nakajima 275 −13 1 stroke Toru Taniguchi 2005 JPN Darren Clarke (2) 270 −18 2 strokes Mitsuhiro Tateyama 2004 JPN Darren Clarke 266 −22 6 strokes Nozomi Kawahara Lee Westwood 2003 JPN Kiyoshi Murota 272 −16 6 strokes Ben Curtis Hiroyuki Fujita Kim Jong-duck 2002 JPN Tsuneyuki Nakajima 272 −16 1 stroke Hidemichi Tanaka 2001 JPN Toshimitsu Izawa 270 −18 2 strokes Yūsaku Miyazato (a) Shigeru NonakaSumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters 2000 JPN Toshimitsu Izawa 274 −14 1 stroke Keiichiro Fukabori 1999 JPN Hirofumi Miyase 274 −14 Playoff Darren Clarke Ryoken Kawagishi 1998 JPN Lee Westwood (3) 275 −13 2 strokes Masashi Ozaki 1997 JPN Lee Westwood (2) 272 −16 1 stroke Masashi Ozaki Naomichi Ozaki 1996 JPN Lee Westwood 206 −10 Playoff Costantino Rocca Jeff Sluman 1995 JPN Satoshi Higashi 274 −14 4 strokes Shigeki Maruyama 1994 JPN Masashi Ozaki 270 −18 5 strokes Bob Estes 1993 JPN Greg Norman 272 −16 1 stroke Yoshi MizumakiVisa Taiheiyo Club Masters 1992 JPN Masashi Ozaki 276 −12 1 stroke Masahiro Kuramoto Bernhard Langer Tsukasa Watanabe 1991 JPN Roger Mackay 272 −16 2 strokes Yoshinori Kaneko 1990 JPN José María Olazábal (2) 270 −18 5 strokes Bernhard Langer Masashi Ozaki 1989 JPN José María Olazábal 203 −13 3 strokes Isao Aoki Naomichi Ozaki 1988 JPN Seve Ballesteros 281 −7 3 strokes Yasuhiro Funatogawa 1987 JPN Graham Marsh 276 −12 1 stroke Tom Watson 1986 JPN Yasuhiro Funatogawa 274 −14 2 strokes Larry NelsonTaiheiyo Club Masters 1985 JPN Tsuneyuki Nakajima 280 −8 Playoff David Graham 1984 JPN Shinsaku Maeda 275 −13 1 stroke Kikuo Arai Naomichi Ozaki 1983: No tournament 1982 JPN Scott Hoch 278 −10 3 strokes Masahiro KuramotoToshiba Taiheiyo Masters 1981 JPN Danny Edwards 276 −12 3 strokes Jerry Pate Tom Watson 1980 JPN Norio Suzuki (2) 282 −6 Playoff Masashi OzakiTaiheiyo Club Masters 1979 JPN Norio Suzuki 280 −8 2 strokes Rod Curl Bill Rogers Tom WatsonSumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters 1978 JPN Gil Morgan 273 −11 3 strokes Jerry PateTaiheiyo Club Masters 1977 JPN Bill Rogers 275 −9 1 stroke Mike Morley Teruo Sugihara 1976 JPN Jerry Pate 279 −5 2 strokes Isao Aoki 1975 JPN Gene Littler (2) 278 −6 1 stroke Lee Elder Hubert Green Allen Miller Masashi Ozaki 1974 Gene Littler 279 −5 5 strokes Bert Yancey 1973 JPN Masashi Ozaki 278 −6 Playoff Bert Yancey 1972 Gay Brewer 276 −8 Playoff David Graham Sources:歴代優勝者 - 2015三井住友VISA太平洋マスターズPast Champions
Notes
References
External links Coverage on the Japan Golf Tour's official site Official site