Takumi Kanaya (Japanese: 金谷拓実, born 23 May 1998) is a Japanese professional golfer. He had an exceptionally successful amateur career and was world ranked number 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 55 weeks. He also won a professional event on the 2019 Japan Golf Tour while still an amateur.
Amateur career
Kanaya had a successful amateur career, winning the 2015 Japan Amateur Championship and the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.[2] The latter gave him entry to the Masters and the Open Championship in 2019.[2] He played in a number of representative matches, including the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy where he had the second best individual score.[2] Kanaya won team gold medals at the 2017 Summer Universiade and at the 2018 Asian Games.[2] He was world ranked number 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking for 55 weeks, winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal for 2020.[3][4]
While still an amateur, Kanaya played in a number of professional tournaments. He was the runner-up in the 2017 Japan Open Golf Championship, a stroke behind Yuta Ikeda.[5] He won the 2019 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour and finished tied for 3rd place in the 2019 Emirates Australian Open.[5]
Professional career
Kanaya turned professional in October 2020 and made his professional debut at the Japan Open Golf Championship, finishing in 7th place.[6][7]
In November 2020, Kanaya won the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament. This was his second win in a professional tournament but his first since turning pro. The Dunlop Phoenix is regarded as one of the premier tournaments in Japan. The win moved him to 126th in the Official World Golf Ranking.[8]
Amateur wins
- 2015 Japan High School Spring Championship, Japan Amateur Championship
- 2016 JHGA Spring Championship 15 - 17, Chugoku Amateur Championship
- 2018 Chugoku Amateur Championship, Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship
Source:[9]
Professional wins (7)
Japan Golf Tour wins (6)
| Legend |
| Japan majors (1) |
| Other Japan Golf Tour (5) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 Nov 2019 | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (as an amateur) |
−13 (73-66-63-65=267) | 1 stroke |  Shaun Norris
|
| 2 | 22 Nov 2020 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | −13 (68-66-68-69=271) | Playoff |  Toshihiro Ishizaka
|
| 3 | 18 Apr 2021 | Token Homemate Cup | −11 (67-65-70=202)* | 1 stroke | Keita Nakajima (a)
|
| 4 | 4 Jun 2023 | BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup | −11 (64-71-67-71=273) | 2 strokes | Yuki Inamori, Hiroshi Iwata
|
| 5 | 3 Sep 2023 | Fujisankei Classic | −8 (68-68-69-67=272) | 4 strokes | Naoyuki Kataoka
|
| 6 | 31 Mar 2024 | Token Homemate Cup (2) | −23 (67-65-64-65=261) | 2 strokes | Tatsunori Shogenji
|
*Note: The 2021 Token Homemate Cup was shortened to 54 holes due to a positive COVID-19 test in the field.
Japan Golf Tour playoff record (1–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2020 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | Toshihiro Ishizaka
|
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 2 | 2023 | ASO Iizuka Challenged Golf Tournament | Keita Nakajima
|
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Asian Tour wins (1)
| Legend |
| International Series (1) |
| Other Asian Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 Feb 2023 | International Series Oman | −10 (69-71-67-71=278) | 4 strokes |  Berry Henson,  Sadom Kaewkanjana
|
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T58 | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | ||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | NT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
"T" = Tied
CUT = missed the halfway cut
NT = No tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2022 |
|---|---|
| Match Play | R16 |
| Champions | NT1 |
1Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
NT = No tournament
Team appearances
Amateur
- Nomura Cup (representing Japan): 2015 (winners), 2017
- Bonallack Trophy (representing Asia/Pacific): 2016, 2018 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Japan): 2016, 2018
- Arnold Palmer Cup (representing International team): 2019 (winners)
References
- ^ "Week 49 2021 Ending 5 Dec 2021" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Takumi Kanaya Becomes Second Japanese Player to Win AAC Title at 10th Edition in Singapore". Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Kanaya makes WAGR history". WAGR. 9 September 2020.
- ^ "World Number One Kanaya Claims Prestigious Award". Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Takumi Kanaya". OWGR. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Rising Japanese Star Kanaya Turns Professional". Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation. 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Takumi Kanaya solo 7th finish on debut game now heads to ZOZO Championship in US". Japan Golf Tour Organisation. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ^ "Official World Golf Ranking - Takumi Kanaya". 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Takumi Kanaya". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
External links
- Takumi Kanaya at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Takumi Kanaya at the PGA Tour official site
- Takumi Kanaya at the European Tour official site
- Takumi Kanaya at the Official World Golf Ranking official site