JGTO unveils 2024 schedule

The Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) has unveiled a streamlined schedule for its 51st season in 2024, featuring 23 tournaments where JGTO members will contend for a substantial combined prize fund exceeding ¥3 billion.

The Tour will kick off with the customary Token Homemate Cup at the Token Tado Country Club Nagoya in Mie from March 28 to 31 and run for nine consecutive months until the season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup (November 28-December 1).

The Players by The Players, which was launched as a new event in 2022 but not held this year, will make a welcome return to the JGTO calendar from May 9-12 and be hosted at The Club Golf Village in Gunma.

Despite the absence of the Hana Bank Invitational, the JGTO will continue to maintain its collaboration with KPGA to host the Shinhan Donghae Open (September 5-8), where the Asian Tour will also participate in this tri-sanctioned event.

All eyes will certainly be on the ISPS Handa Championship (April 25-28) once again, with the US$2 million tournament returning for the second edition. The tournament made history as the first-ever regular tournament jointly sanctioned by the JGTO and DP World Tour, with Australian golfer Lucas Herbert emerging triumphant.

It will be held at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course in Shizuoka, the same site for the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters. This course is renowned not only as the long-standing host of the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters but also for hosting the World Cup of Golf in 2001, where legendary figures like Tiger Woods graced the event.

The Panasonic Open (September 19-22) will move its venue to the Arima Royal Golf Club in Hyogo, after taking place for two successive editions at the Onotoyo Golf Club, in the same prefecture.

The other switch of venue involves the ACN Championship (October 5-8). The tournament, which took place at the Sanko Golf Club, will now be staged at the Miki Golf Club, also in Hyogo.

As for the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open (May 23-26), all JGTO hopefuls vying for tickets to The 152nd Open at Royal Troon (July 18-21) will have added motivation to do well. This is because the total prize money at stake has been increased from ¥80 million to ¥100 million.

Players will also be playing for bigger prize funds at the Yokohama Minato Championship - Fujiki Centennial (August 8-11). Making its debut this year, the cash on offer has been raised from ¥100 million to ¥120 million.

The Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament, won by Filipino veteran Juvic Pagunsan, as well as the ASO Iizuka Challenged Golf Tournament and Mynavi ABC Championship, both claimed by Keita Nakajima will not feature on the 2024 JGTO schedule.

The Hana Bank Invitational, which was previously held in Chiba in June of this year as a tournament jointly sanctioned by JGTO and KPGA, will also not be part of the schedule as JGTO will no longer be a sanctioning partner of the tournament, which is set to return to South Korea next year.  However, 20 spots will still be allocated to JGTO, though any prize money won will not contribute to the JGTO Money Rankings.

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