Japan Airlines Open
{{Short description|Japanese golf tournament}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{infobox golf tournament
| name = Japan Airlines Open
| image =
| caption =
| location = Japan
| coordinates =
| establishment = 1971
| course =
| par =
| yardage =
| lang =
| org =
| tour = Japan Golf Tour
| format = Stroke play
| purse =
| final_year = 1972
| aggregate = 277 David Graham (1971)
277 Masashi Ozaki (1971)
| to-par = −11 as above
| final_champion = {{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} Gary Player
}}
The Japan Airlines Open was a professional golf tournament in Japan in the early 1970s. The event was founded in 1971.{{Cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110344467 |title=JAL golf |date=1971-03-23 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |agency=AAP-Reuter |access-date=2020-02-17 |page=23}}
History
The first event was held at the Fuchu Country Club near Tokyo, Japan. A number of notable international golfers played the event, including England's Tony Jacklin, Australia's David Graham, and Australia's Graham Marsh. David Graham was four shots back entering the final round but shot a "nearly flawless" 68 (−4) and wound up tied with Japan's Jumbo Ozaki at the end of regulation. Graham and Ozaki then competed in a 3-hole playoff; both remained tied at the end of it. They then competed in a sudden-death playoff. They were still tied after the first two holes of sudden death. On the third sudden-death playoff hole (and 6th overall) Graham made a tap-in birdie before Ozaki missed an 8-foot birdie putt.{{Cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131807037 |title=Graham's Golf Title |date=1971-05-17 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |agency=AAP-Reuter |access-date=2020-02-17 |page=13}}
The second event was held at Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Japan. Again there were a number of notable international golfers at the event. Among the 88 competitors were South Africa's Gary Player, Australia's Graham Marsh, and Australia's Peter Thomson.{{Cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102020677 |title=Player in golf field |date=1972-05-11 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |agency=AAP-Reuter |access-date=2020-02-17 |page=32}} Player won the event, getting up and down from a bunker on the final hole to win by one over a number of golfers, including Thomson.{{Cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article102021326 |title=Golf win |date=1972-05-15 |newspaper=The Canberra Times |agency=AAP-Reuter |access-date=2020-02-17 |page=15}}
Winners
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!Year!!Winner!!Score!!To par!!Margin of |
| 1972
|{{flagicon|ZAF|1928}} Gary Player |align=center|280 |align=center|−8 |1 stroke |{{flagicon|TWN}} Lu Liang-Huan |align=right|2,000,000 |{{cite news |title=Player wins Japan golf |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tIBIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Lm0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5142%2C2366067 |access-date=21 January 2021 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |agency=AP |date=15 May 1972 |page=19}}{{cite book |last1=McCormack |first1=Mark H. |author-link=Mark McCormack |title=The World of Professional Golf 1973 |date=1973 |publisher=Collins |isbn=0002119463 |pages=312, 517–518}} |
| 1971
|{{flagicon|AUS}} David Graham |align=center|277 |align=center|−11 |Playoff |{{flagicon|JPN|1870}} Masashi Ozaki |align=right|1,100,000 |Fuchu Country Club |