How players who grew up in Japan reached the world stage (men, Japan edition)
Where did Japan’s male professionals grow up, and through which doors did they reach the PGA Tour? We compare the background of each Japanese player on the PGA Tour today with the roads of 20 years ago, and sum up what parents should know.
Which roads the world’s top players took is covered in the world edition, “The road to the PGA Tour”.
Five Japanese players teed it up as members at the first PGA Tour event of 2026 (the Sony Open)[1]. Here is where each grew up, what they did in Japan and which door they used to reach the US.
| Player | Grew up | Results in Japan | Door to the US | PGA Tour member from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hideki Matsuyama | Tohoku Fukushi University | Asia-Pacific Amateur twice. Japan Golf Tour money leader (2013) | Results in US events | 2013 (21)[7] |
| Ryo Hisatsune | Pro at 18 | Money leader on Japan’s developmental tour (2021) | 17th on the European tour season list (via its Q-School) | 2024 (21)[8][3] |
| Takumi Kanaya | Tohoku Fukushi University | Asia-Pacific Amateur winner, world amateur No. 1. Japan Golf Tour money leader (2024) | 3rd at US Q-School | 2025 (26)[5][9] |
| Keita Nakajima | Nippon Sport Science University | Asia-Pacific Amateur winner, world amateur No. 1. Japan Golf Tour money leader (2023) | 17th on the European tour season list (via the Japan top-3 pathway) | 2026 (25)[6][3] |
| Kensei Hirata | Japan Golf Tour | Four wins on the Japan Golf Tour in 2024 | 8th at US Q-School → 15th on the developmental tour season list | 2026[10] |
All five grew up in Japan and moved to the US after results in Japan. In 2025, Rikuya Hoshino (via Europe) and Kaito Onishi (via a US college) also played the PGA Tour[9].
Key pointGrowing up in Japan and reaching the world do not conflict. The road splits in two places: “where you grow up” and “which door you use to enter the US”.
The roads of Japanese players split in two places: “where they grow up” and “which door they use to enter the US”. Here is the whole picture in one figure.
In Japan this is the widest road. Of the 65 players with full Japan Golf Tour cards in 2020–21, 45 (about 70%) were “college graduates” by the article’s count. By college, Tohoku Fukushi University had 13 and Nihon University 11[15]. Nihon University led college golf until the 1990s, and Tohoku Fukushi University since 2000[16].
Japanese colleges are also a place to compete with the world. The Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was won by Hideki Matsuyama in 2010 and 2011, Takumi Kanaya in 2018 and Keita Nakajima in 2021, and all three played the Masters while still at college. Since 2018 the winner has been invited to the Masters and the Open[4][7][5][6]. Kanaya held world amateur No. 1 for 55 weeks and Nakajima for a record 87 weeks, and both beat the pros on the Japan Golf Tour while still at college[5][6].
Ryo Ishikawa won on the Japan Golf Tour as an amateur at 15 years and 8 months, and topped the money list in 2009[11]. Ryo Hisatsune turned pro at 18, won three times on Japan’s developmental tour to top its money list, and went on to Europe[8]. Japan’s tours are a place where players sharpen their game in real competition from their teens and grow into players who can compete with the world.
Ryuji Imada moved to the US at 14 and played two years at the University of Georgia; Kaito Onishi moved at 9 and played four years at the University of Southern California[12][13]. Events in Japan that lead to US junior events have also started[17][18].
Key pointJapanese colleges are not a Japan-only road. They are also a road to “compete with the world”, leading to the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Masters and world amateur No. 1.
Wherever they grow up, players finally pass through a “door” that gives PGA Tour status. Japanese players have used four doors.
Three of the five in 2026 have topped the Japan Golf Tour money list[7][5][6]. Whichever door they choose, winning on the Japan Golf Tour is the strongest foothold.
Key pointThere is more than one door, but every door is narrow: even via Europe, only 2 of 12 reached the PGA Tour. The strength to win in Japan comes first.
Four players who reached the PGA Tour from Japan by different roads. Ages are approximate, as of their birthday that year.
He started golf at 4 at his father’s suggestion and moved to Meitoku Gijuku in Kochi in his second year of junior high. At Tohoku Fukushi University he won the Asia-Pacific Amateur twice and was low amateur at the Masters. After turning pro at 21 he topped the Japan Golf Tour money list in his first year, won on the PGA Tour at 22 and won the Masters at 29.
| Year (age) | Stage | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| About 1996 (4) | Preschool | Starts golf at his father’s suggestion |
| Junior high year 2 | Junior high | Moves from Ehime to Meitoku Gijuku Junior High in Kochi. Also Meitoku Gijuku for high school |
| 2010 (18) | College | Enters Tohoku Fukushi University. Wins the Asia-Pacific Amateur |
| 2011 (19) | College | Low amateur at the Masters. Wins the Asia-Pacific Amateur again and the Universiade |
| 2013 (21) | Pro | Turns pro. Tops the Japan Golf Tour money list in his first year. Results in US events earn PGA Tour status |
| 2014 (22) | PGA Tour | First PGA Tour win at the Memorial Tournament |
| 2021 (29) | PGA Tour | Wins the Masters, the first major win by a Japanese man |
| As of November 2026 | PGA Tour | 11 PGA Tour wins |
Source[7][20]
He started golf at 6 and was 2nd at the Japan Amateur at 15. At Nippon Sport Science University he held world amateur No. 1 for a record 87 weeks and played the Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur. In his first pro year he topped the Japan Golf Tour money list and went to Europe through the pathway for Japan’s top 3. He won in Europe and reached the PGA Tour by finishing 17th in his second season.
| Year (age) | Stage | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| About 2006 (6) | Elementary | Starts golf |
| 2015 (15) | Junior high | 2nd at the Japan Amateur |
| 2018 (17–18) | High school | Wins the Australian Amateur. Individual and team gold at the Asian Games |
| 2020–22 | College | Nippon Sport Science University. World amateur No. 1 for a record 87 weeks |
| 2021 (20–21) | College | Wins the Japan Amateur and the Asia-Pacific Amateur. Wins the Panasonic Open on the Japan Golf Tour as an amateur |
| 2022 (21–22) | College → pro | Plays the Masters. Turns pro in the autumn |
| 2023 (22–23) | Japan Golf Tour | Three wins and the money title. European tour card through the top-3 pathway |
| 2024–25 | European tour | Wins the India Open in 2024. 17th for the 2025 season earns a PGA Tour card |
| 2026 (25) | PGA Tour | PGA Tour member from |
Source[6][3][1]
He turned pro at 18, topped the money list on the ABEMA Tour, and went from the Japan Golf Tour to the European tour. In Europe he won and was rookie of the year, and his season ranking earned him a PGA Tour card.
| Year (age) | Stage | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| December 2020 (18) | Pro | Turns pro |
| 2021 | ABEMA Tour | Three wins in about four months and the money title. Moves up to the Japan Golf Tour |
| 2022 | Japan Golf Tour | Plays the Japan Golf Tour; passes European tour Q-School in November |
| 2023 | European tour | Wins the French Open, rookie of the year. 17th for the season earns a PGA Tour card |
| 2024 | PGA Tour | Debuts at the Sony Open in January |
Source[21][8][3]
He started golf at 5 and moved to the US with his family at 9. He built a record in US junior events and played four years at the University of Southern California. He then battled on the Korn Ferry Tour and earned a PGA Tour card in his second year.
| Year (age) | Stage | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| About 5 | Preschool | Starts golf at his grandfather’s suggestion |
| About 9 | Elementary | Moves to the US |
| Until 2017 | High school | IMG Academy (Florida) in the US. AJGA All-American in 2015 |
| 2017–21 (18–22) | College | Studies business at the University of Southern California. Conference freshman of the year (2018) |
| 2021 (22) | Pro | Turns pro |
| 2023 (24) | Developmental tour | 100th in his first Korn Ferry Tour season. Keeps his status by 0.49 points |
| 2024 (25) | Developmental tour | First win in June. 25th for the season earns a PGA Tour card |
| 2025 (26) | PGA Tour | PGA Tour member from |
Source[13][22][23]
According to a 2019 PGA Tour article, Japanese PGA Tour winners run from Isao Aoki in 1983 through Shigeki Maruyama, Ryuji Imada, Satoshi Kodaira and Hideki Matsuyama[20].
Meanwhile the entrance to US colleges is also coming closer to Japan. From 2026 the US junior tour FCG holds a tournament series in Japan, with “being seen by US college coaches” as one of its aims[17]. 18 Japanese boys appear in the US junior rankings[26]. In November 2026 the Japan High School and Junior High School Golf Federation holds an event in Nara carrying the name of the AJGA (American Junior Golf Association), for students from the first year of junior high to the third year of high school who hope to go to a US college[18].
Japan has solid roads through its colleges and tours, and a US college is best seen as one more road: “aiming for the world while also gaining English and a degree”.
Top players started at different ages: Kaito Onishi at 5, Keita Nakajima at 6[13][6]. TPI recommends playing other sports too, to develop basic movements such as running, jumping and throwing[27][28]. Children can step up gradually, from regional events to national ones.
The Japan Amateur is open to junior high students, and Keita Nakajima finished 2nd at 15[6]. The Japan Junior, national junior high events and regional amateur events give experience of playing with strong opponents. It is also a good time to start English.
Takumi Kanaya won the Japan Amateur in 2015, in his second year of high school, and played world events for Japan[5]. The road splits into Japanese college, turning pro and US college, and Japanese players have reached the world from every one. How to prepare for a US college is in the guide on playing college golf abroad.
The Asia-Pacific Amateur, a Japan Golf Tour win as an amateur, the money title: winning in Japan opens doors to the world. There is more than one door: Europe, US Q-School, the developmental tour.
Events mentioned in this guide, and events that lead to them. You can check dates and entry on this site.
How to prepare for a US college is covered in the guide “Playing college golf abroad”.
The Japanese players on the PGA Tour today all grew up in Japan and crossed the ocean after winning in Japan. Japanese colleges and tours connect directly to the world through the Asia-Pacific Amateur, the Masters, world amateur No. 1 and the Japan Golf Tour money title.
On top of that, the doors to the US have multiplied over 20 years: via Europe, through Q-School and the developmental tour, and through US colleges. On every road, the strength to win in Japan and to compete abroad is the foundation. In childhood, it starts with loving golf and stepping up little by little to bigger events.
* This page is about men (the PGA Tour). The Japanese players on the PGA Tour in 2026 were checked against the eligibility list for the Sony Open (January 2026). The education data for Japan Golf Tour card holders covers one season, 2020–21. Player backgrounds were checked in English Wikipedia and golf media. Information as of November 2026.