Japan Challenge Tour

Japan Challenge Tour
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 Japan Challenge Tour
FormerlyAbemaTV Tour
SportGolf
Founded1985
First season1985
CountriesBased in Japan
Most titlesTournament wins:
Japan Gohei Sato (5)
Japan Masamichi Uehira (5)
Related
competitions		Japan Golf Tour

The Japan Challenge Tour, currently titled as the Abema Tour for sponsorships reasons, is a series of developmental golf tournaments run by the Japan Golf Tour Organization. It has been in operation since 1985.

In 2023, the schedule featured 12 tournaments, with prize funds of mostly ¥15,000,000.[1] This is about a tenth of the level of prize money per event on offer on the main Japan Golf Tour, with the main tour also having a longer season.

In January 2018, the tour signed a sponsor title agreement with AbemaTV, being renamed as the AbemaTV Tour for the 2018 season onwards.[2] The agreement lasted until the end of the 2024 season.[3]

In July 2018, it was also announced that the tour would be included into the Official World Golf Ranking starting in 2019, with the winner receiving a minimum of 4 points for a 54-hole event.[4]

The top 20 players earn entry into the Japan Golf Tour.[5]

Money list winners

Season Winner Prize money (¥)
2024 Japan Taisei Yamada 5,259,789
2023 Japan Tatsunori Shogenji 11,253,106
2022 Japan Yujiro Ohori 7,798,551
2020–21 Japan Ryo Hisatsune 10,922,467
2019 Japan Yoshikazu Haku 6,797,444
2018 Japan Taihei Sato 7,256,163
2017 Japan Tomoharu Otsuki 3,787,591
2016 Japan Yoshinobu Tsukada 5,509,115
2015 Japan Yu Morimoto 4,479,531
2014 Japan Shugo Imahira 7,444,288
2013 South Korea Kwon Ki-taek 5,326,885
2012 Japan Yuki Koko 4,607,237
2011 Japan Tatsunori Nukaga 5,846,275
2010 Fiji Dinesh Chand 4,780,625
2009 Australia Chris Campbell 6,136,154
2008 Japan Masamichi Uehira 6,329,033
2007 Japan Michio Matsumura 6,685,183
2006 Japan Takaki Ono 7,710,069
2005 Japan Shoichi Ideguchi 5,070,263
2004 Japan Yoshiaki Kimura 4,199,650
2003 Japan Masamichi Uehira 3,082,833
2002 Japan Tatsuhiko Ichihara 4,124,935
2001 South Korea Hur Suk-ho 5,150,264
2000 Japan Masanori Kobayashi 3,851,250
1999 Japan Kosaku Makisaka 3,461,294
1998 No information known
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985

References

  1. ^ "2023 Challenge Schedule". Japan Golf Tour Organization. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  2. ^ "ス 「AbemaTV」がJGTO主催「チャレンジトーナメント」との年間特別スポンサー契約を締結 現「チャレンジトーナメント」から「AbemaTVツアー」へ名称を変更" ["AbemaTV" signs annual special sponsorship agreement with "Challenge Tournament" sponsored by JGTO Changed name from "Challenge Tournament" to "AbemaTV Tour"] (in Japanese). Abema. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Abemaツアー７年間の歴史に幕。男子ツアーに様々な変革と刺激を注入した功績に感謝" [The Abema Tour has come to an end over its seven-year history. Thanked for injecting a variety of transformations and inspirations into the men's tour] (in Japanese). Japan Golf Tour Organization. 18 October 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Board Announcement". Official World Golf Ranking. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2022. The Abema TV Tour will be introduced to the OWGR at minimum points levels of 4 first place points for its tournaments that are played over 54 holes.
  5. ^ "Abema Tour 2022 season tees off". Japan Golf Tour Organization. 6 April 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2023. Players who finish inside the top-20 on the money list will earn their main JGTO cards in 2023.