Toshimitsu Izawa
Encyclopedia
Toshimitsu Izawa is a Japan
ese professional golf
er. He is sometimes known outside of Japan as Toshi Izawa.
Izawa was born in Kanagawa, attended Nihon Taiiku University, and turned professional in 1989.
Izawa's career on the Japan Golf Tour
developed quite slowly. His first win came in 1995, and he did not make the top ten on the money list until 1999, when he was thirty one years old. He went on to top the money list in 2001 and 2003. In the first of those years he set a record of ¥
217,934,583 in earnings which survived though the 2004 season, and his dominant form in Japan lifted him into the top twenty in the Official World Golf Rankings
. He has 16 victories on the Japan Golf Tour (tied 10th on the career wins list
) and is sixth on the career money list (through 2009).
Izawa has only played a limited number of tournaments outside Japan, but in 2001 he finished tied fourth at the Masters Tournament, which is one of golf's four major championships
, and tied for second at the PGA Tour
's Nissan Open
. In 2002, he won the WGC-World Cup
for Japan in partnership with Shigeki Maruyama
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. He is sometimes known outside of Japan as Toshi Izawa.
Izawa was born in Kanagawa, attended Nihon Taiiku University, and turned professional in 1989.
Izawa's career on the Japan Golf Tour
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
developed quite slowly. His first win came in 1995, and he did not make the top ten on the money list until 1999, when he was thirty one years old. He went on to top the money list in 2001 and 2003. In the first of those years he set a record of ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
217,934,583 in earnings which survived though the 2004 season, and his dominant form in Japan lifted him into the top twenty in the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
. He has 16 victories on the Japan Golf Tour (tied 10th on the career wins list
Golfers with most Japan Golf Tour wins
This is a list of golfers who have won 10 or more events on the Japan Golf Tour since it was established in 1973. The official Japan Golf Tour website lists winners beginning with the 1985 season...
) and is sixth on the career money list (through 2009).
Izawa has only played a limited number of tournaments outside Japan, but in 2001 he finished tied fourth at the Masters Tournament, which is one of golf's four major championships
Men's major golf championships
The men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
, and tied for second at the PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
's Nissan Open
Nissan Open
The Northern Trust Open, is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, first played in 1926. Formerly known as the Nissan Open and originally known as the Los Angeles Open, it is played annually in February in Pacific Palisades, California. The tournament has been contested at the Riviera...
. In 2002, he won the WGC-World Cup
WGC-World Cup
The World Cup is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete...
for Japan in partnership with Shigeki Maruyama
Shigeki Maruyama
Shigeki Maruyama is a Japanese professional golfer.Maruyama was born in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. He attended Nihon University and turned professional in 1992. He is known for his ever-present smile on the golf course which has given rise to his nickname of the "Smiling Assassin"...
.
Japan Golf Tour wins (16)
- 1995 (1) Japan OpenJapan Open Golf ChampionshipThe is Japan's national open golf championship. As of 2011, it is one of the three richest tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour, with a prize fund of ¥200 million...
- 1998 (1) Tokai Classic
- 1999 (2) Aiful CupAiful CupThe Aiful Cup was a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour from 1998 to 2006. It was played at a variety of courses throughout Japan. The purse for the 2006 event was ¥120,000,000, with ¥24,000,000 going to the winner.-Winners:...
, NST Niigata Open Golf Championship - 2000 (3) JGTO TPC iiyama Cup, Hisamitsu-KBC Augusta, Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters
- 2001 (5) Diamond Cup Tournament, Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo MastersMitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Mastersis an annual golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It is played in November and in recent years at the Taiheiyo Club, Gotenba Course, Gotenba, Shizuoka and attracts some of the leading international golfers. It was founded in 1972...
, Georgia Tokai Classic, Bridgestone OpenBridgestone OpenThe is a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It was first played in 1972 at the Mitsukaido Golf Club. In 1973, the event moved to the Tokyo Yomiuri Country Club. Since 1974 it has held at the Sodegaura Country Club. The tournament record is 266 , set by Taichi Teshima in 2006...
, Philip Morris K.K. Championship - 2003 (2) Japan Golf Tour Championship Shishidohills CupJapan Golf Tour ChampionshipThe is an annual major golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. Its main sponsor is Citibank. It was founded in 2000. It has been played at Shishido Hills Country Club since 2003...
, Woodone Open HiroshimaWoodone Open HiroshimaThe Woodone Open Hiroshima was a golf event on the Japan Golf Tour from 1973 to 2007. It was first played in 1972 as the Hiroshima Open. The venues were the courses of the Hiroshima Country Club, except the 1997 tournament, that was held at the Yonex Country Club in Niigata.-Winners:Woodone Open... - 2005 (1) Under Armour KBC Augusta
- 2007 (1) Japan PGA ChampionshipJapan PGA ChampionshipThe is an annual golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. It has been played since 1926. It is played at a variety of courses throughout Japan. The purse for the 2011 event was ¥150,000,000, with ¥30,000,000 going to the winner...
Other wins
this list is probably incomplete- 2002 WGC-World CupWGC-World CupThe World Cup is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete...
(with Shigeki MaruyamaShigeki MaruyamaShigeki Maruyama is a Japanese professional golfer.Maruyama was born in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. He attended Nihon University and turned professional in 1992. He is known for his ever-present smile on the golf course which has given rise to his nickname of the "Smiling Assassin"...
)