Kenichi Kuboya

He learned golf at his father's driving range. Under the strong influence of his father, Kuboya started playing golf at the age of 10. He was a walk-on at the Meiji University. At his third challenge he passed the pro-test and achieved the second rank from 1995 final qualifying tournament.
Won four events on the Japan Golf Tour between 1997 and 2002, picking up two wins in each of those seasons.
Both of his wins on the Japan Golf Tour in 2002 came in playoffs. He beat Shingo Katayama in extra holes at the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup and another win against champion Todd Hamilton at the Japan PGA Championship. This remains the biggest win of his career.
Kuboya had a brief stint on the PGA Tour where he played a full season in 2003. His best finish of the year was a T13 at the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania and he was not able to keep his card. He would go back to play on the Japan Golf Tour in 2004, where he currently plays.
Kuboya played in his first major championship in 2002 at The British Open Championship, where he made the cut, but did not contend on the weekend. His next major was the 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland. He finished his first round birdie, birdie, eagle, birdie to finish in a T-2nd. He would finish the tournament T27th. Also played in the 2011 U.S. Open finishing T68th.
Kuboya won his fifth Japan Golf Tour title at the 2011 Canon Open, nine years after his last win and subsequently won the 2012 Japan Open and the 2017 Panasonic Open.
Between 1996 and 2022 he has played in 612 events world-wide with 46 Top-ten finishes.
In 2022 turned 50 and playing on the Japan PGA Senior Tour. In two starts was T-45th at the Kanehide Senior Okinawa Open and T-32nd at the Nojima Championcup Hakone Senior.