Takumi Kanaya

Still an amateur when he won the Japan Tour's Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in 2019 - finishing 63-65 - and three weeks later, his share of third place in the Emirates Australian Open was good enough for one of the three Open Qualifying Series spots on offer because runner-up Louis Oosthuizen was already exempt.
The Hiroshima, Japan, native claimed a two-shot win at the 2018 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Singapore, becoming the first player from Japan to win the title since Hideki Matsuyama. He posted a final-round, five-under-par 65 for a winning score of 13-under 267.
Compiled an outstanding amateur record, including a victory in the 2015 Japan Amateur at the age of 17. Later, he finished 11th at the Japan Open. In 2017, he finished runner-up, just one shot back of winner Yuta Ikeda at the Japan Open. In 2018, he won three times. Along with his Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, he earned titles at the Neighbors Trophy Team Championship and the Chugoku Amateur Championship. At the British Amateur in Scotland, he reached match play but lost in the first round to Marcos Montenegro 4 and 3. Kanaya finished second individually at the World Amateur Team Championships in Ireland.
With his win at the Asia-Pacific Amateur in 2018, Kanaya followed in the footsteps of countryman Hideki Matsuyama, who won in 2011. Kanaya studied at Tohoku Fukushi University, the same school that Matsuyama attended, and they worked with the same golf coach. Kanaya also shares the same manager with Matsuyama. After Kanaya's victory, Matsuyama contacted the winner and told him that he was looking forward to playing a practice round with him at Augusta National.
After winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur, he played in the Japan Open, finishing T-24th, and Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, missing the cut. He was T-17th at the Emirates Australian Open.
In 2019 missed the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, T-58th at the Masters, and 14th at The Crowns on the Japan Golf Tour. He was T-40th in the European Amateur Championship in Austria and missed the cut at the British Open. In the 2019 U.S. Amateur lost in the round of 32 to Ricky Castillo 3 and 2. Was runner-up at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, losing a playoff to Yuxin Lin. On the Japan Golf Tour was T-40th at the Japan Open. At the Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, Kayana made an eagle on the 72nd hole to beat Shaun Norris by a shot and became the fourth amateur to win a Japan Golf Tour event. Kanaya was T-3rd at the Emirates Australian Open, six shots back of winner Matt Jones.
2020/21 Notes: He graduated from Tohoku Fukushi University and was planning to stay amateur through the British Open, which ended up being canceled. Turned pro on October 10th, 2020.
2020/21 Japan PGA Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 20; In Money - 20; Top-10 Finishes -15; Scoring Average - 69.73 (Rank 1st); Money - Yen119,803,605 ($1,010,421) (Rank 1st); Best Finish - Win 2020 Dunlop Phoenix & 2021 Token Homemate Cup. His money ranking got him into the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews.
He played in the 2020 U.S. Open, missing the cut, he also missed the cut in the 2021 Sony Open in Hawaii, T-53rd at the Saudi International, T-9th at the Dubai Desert Classic, and missed the cut at the PGA Championship, the Memorial, and British Open.
2022 Japan PGA Tour Summary: Tournaments Entered - 6; In Money - 5; Top-10 Finishes -3; Scoring Average - 69.67 ; Money - Yen31,461,833 ($224,509) (Rank 28th); Best Finish - 3rd Shigeo Nagashima Invitational, Sega Sammy Cup. Also played in 11 DP World Tour events, best finish T-9th at the WGC-Dell Match Play & T-25th Abu Dhabi Championship. Played in nine PGA Tour events, best finish T-9th at the WGC-Dell Match Play. He played in the Masters, PGA Championship and Open Championship, missing the cut in all three.
2023 Notes: Recorded his first professional victory outside of Japan by winning the International Series Oman. Kanaya shot a final round one-under-par 71 to finish at 10 under and beat American Berry Henson (70) and Thailand's Sadom Kaewkanjana (72) by four shots. This was only the third start by Kanaya as a professional in an Asian Tour event, it is his maiden appearance in an International Series tournament, and it also marks the first time that an International Series event has been won by a player from Japan. In addition, Kanaya became the first Japanese golfer to win an Asian Tour event outside of Japan since Tetsuji Hiratsuka claimed the Black Mountain Masters in 2010. Two months later, Kanaya finished T-4th at the International Series Vietnam. Kanaya had a three-shot lead going into the final round but shot 73 to finish three shots back of the winner Kieran Vincent. Kanaya finished T-3rd at the GateWay to The Open Mizuno Open, which earned him his fourth successive appearance into the Open Championship. Seven days later, an emotional Kanaya ended his two-year title drought on the Japan Golf Tour with a two-shot victory at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup and dedicated his win to his mother, who has been battling breast cancer for the last 10 months. Kanaya held his nerve to close with an even-par 71, which was enough for him to secure his first JGTO victory since the Token Homemate Cup in April 2021. A few days later, Kanaya opened up the ASO Iizuka Challenged Golf Tournament with a first-round 62 and was leading after the third round. He shot 68 in the final round, but when Keita Nakajima shot 65, he caught Kanaya and beat him with a birdie on the 2nd playoff hole. It was his third top-three finish on the Japan Golf Tour in a span of two weeks.

2023 Japan Tour Record
Tournament Place Score To Par 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Money Yen
Token Homemate Cup T-8 270 -14 64 71 66 69 $26,253 Yeb3,679,000
ISPS Handa Championship T-12 271 -9 66 66 67 72 $30,894 Yen4,329,333
The Crowns T-13 276 -4 66 72 69 69 $12,481 Yen1,749,000
Gateway To The Open Mizuno T-3 272 -16 71 64 70 70 $33,111 Yen4,640,000
BMW Japan Golf Championship Win 273 -11 64 71 71 71 $214,078 Yen30,000,000
ASO Ilzuka Challenged 2 259 -29 62 65 68 68 $71,359 Yen10,000,000
Shigeo Nagashima Invit. T-9 272 -16 65 70 69 69 $26,974 Yen3,780,000

Kanaya has won yen58,177,333 ($415,149) on the Japan Golf Tour in 2023 and is 2nd on the money list.