Isao Aoki 青木 功 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||
Personal information | |||||
Born | Abiko, Chiba, Japan | 31 August 1942||||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||
Sporting nationality | ![]() | ||||
Career | |||||
Turned professional | 1964 | ||||
Former tour(s) | PGA Tour Japan Golf Tour Champions Tour | ||||
Professional wins | 80 | ||||
Highest ranking | 8 (7 June 1987)[1] | ||||
Number of wins by tour | |||||
PGA Tour | 1 | ||||
European Tour | 1 | ||||
Japan Golf Tour | 51 (2nd all-time) | ||||
PGA Tour of Australasia | 1 | ||||
PGA Tour Champions | 9 | ||||
Other | 17 | ||||
Best results in major championships | |||||
Masters Tournament | T16: 1985 | ||||
PGA Championship | T4: 1981 | ||||
U.S. Open | 2nd: 1980 | ||||
The Open Championship | T7: 1978, 1979, 1988 | ||||
Achievements and awards | |||||
|
Isao Aoki (青木 功, Aoki Isao, born 31 August 1942) is a Japanese professional golfer. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004.
Career
[edit]Aoki was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan. He was introduced to golf while caddying at the Abiko Golf Club as a schoolboy. He turned professional in 1964. He went on to win more than fifty events on the Japan Golf Tour between 1972 and 1990, trailing only Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki on the list of golfers with most Japan Golf Tour wins. He won the Japan Golf Tour money list five times in six years: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1981. His career earnings are 980 million yen.[2]
In 1983, Aoki won the Hawaiian Open on the U.S.-based PGA Tour, the first Japanese and Asian player to win on the tour,[3] and the Panasonic European Open on the European Tour. He also won the prestigious World Match Play Championship in England in 1978, which was not a European Tour event at that time, and picked up a win on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Aoki is also one of the nine players in the history of the Open Championship to shoot a round of just 63 shots (which he achieved in the third round of the 1980 event). Despite this being the joint-best round in the history of the tournament at the time, Aoki would only finish tied for 12th that year.
Aoki played 165 times on the PGA Tour between 1974 and 1999, primarily from 1981 to 1990. His best finish in a major championship was a second-place finish to Jack Nicklaus (by two strokes) in the 1980 U.S. Open. That finish, combined with his recent record in Japan and around the globe, meant that Aoki would finish 1980 ranked third in the unofficial McCormack's World Golf Rankings, a position he would hold at the end of 1981. After the Official World Golf Rankings debuted in 1986, he was ranked in the top-10 for several weeks in 1987.[4]
In December 1984 after receiving an invitation from Gary Player, Aoki traveled to South Africa to participate in the Million Dollar Challenge. Aoki did this in spite of the efforts of the Japanese government to dissuade him from making the trip.[5]
As a senior, Aoki has played primarily in the United States on the Champions Tour, winning nine times between 1992 and 2003. He has eight senior victories outside the United States, including five victories in the Japan Senior Open where he shot his age, 65, during his most recent triumph in 2007.[6]
Professional wins (80)
[edit]PGA Tour wins (1)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 Feb 1983 | Hawaiian Open | −20 (66-70-65-67=268) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
European Tour wins (1)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4 Sep 1983 | Panasonic European Open | −6 (65-70-70-69=274) | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
PGA of Japan Tour wins (51)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 29 Apr 1973 | Chunichi Crowns | −10 (66-67-68-69=270) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
2 | 20 May 1973 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | −7 (67-65-72-77=281) | Playoff | ![]() |
3 | 17 Jun 1973 | Sapporo Tokyu Open | −7 (69-71-67-74=281) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
4 | 26 Aug 1973 | KBC Augusta | −22 (64-67-68-67=266) | 13 strokes | ![]() |
5 | 21 Oct 1973 | Japan PGA Championship | −13 (64-70-68-73=275) | 8 strokes | ![]() |
6 | 17 Feb 1974 | JPGA East-West Match | −5 (139) | ||
7 | 14 Jul 1974 | Kanto Open | −17 (65-65-71-70=271) | 12 strokes | ![]() |
8 | 4 Aug 1974 | Kanto Pro Championship | −21 (67-66-68-66=267) | 6 strokes | ![]() |
9 | 15 Sep 1974 | Sanpo Classic | −12 (69-65-68-74=276) | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
10 | 29 Apr 1975 | Chunichi Crowns (2) | −6 (68-68-68-68=272) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
11 | 13 Jul 1975 | Kanto Open (2) | −8 (72-72-69-67=280) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
12 | 17 Oct 1976 | Tokai Classic | −5 (74-74-68-67=283) | Playoff | ![]() ![]() |
13 | 12 Jun 1977 | Tohoku Classic | −10 (71-67-72-68=278) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
14 | 13 Nov 1977 | ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches | −8 (67-69-71-73=280) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
15 | 30 Apr 1978 | Chunichi Crowns (3) | −10 (63-67-69-70=270) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
16 | 28 May 1978 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship | 2 and 1 | ![]() | |
17 | 18 Jun 1978 | Sapporo Tokyu Open (2) | −10 (70-69-67-72=278) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
18 | 6 Aug 1978 | Kanto Pro Championship (2) | −14 (69-69-68-68=274) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
19 | 12 Nov 1978 | ABC Japan vs USA Golf Matches (2) | −15 (71-68-64-70=273) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
20 | 3 Dec 1978 | Golf Nippon Series | −8 (69-69-73-71=282) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
21 | 29 Apr 1979 | Chunichi Crowns (4) | −1 (67-73-69-70=279) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
22 | 20 May 1979 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship (2) | 1 up | ![]() | |
23 | 1 Jul 1979 | Kanto Pro Championship (3) | −9 (68-66-72-73=279) | 5 strokes | |
24 | 2 Dec 1979 | Golf Nippon Series (3) | −14 (68-71-66-71=276) | 13 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
25 | 4 May 1980 | Chunichi Crowns (5) | E (69-68-71-72=280) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
26 | 25 May 1980 | Yomiuri Open | −9 (70-72-71-70=283) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
27 | 31 Aug 1980 | KBC Augusta (2) | −7 (68-69=137)* | 2 strokes | ![]() |
28 | 28 Sep 1980 | Kanto Open (3) | +2 (71-71-75-73=290) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
29 | 30 Nov 1980 | Gene Sarazen Jun Classic | −11 (68-67-70-72=277) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
30 | 22 Mar 1981 | Shizuoka Open | −9 (74-69-64-72=279) | Playoff | ![]() |
31 | 17 May 1981 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship (3) | 38 holes | ![]() | |
32 | 2 Aug 1981 | Japan PGA Championship (2) | −11 (72-67-70-68=277) | 4 strokes | ![]() |
33 | 16 May 1982 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship (4) | 4 and 2 | ![]() | |
34 | 12 Jun 1983 | Sapporo Tokyu Open (3) | −14 (72-65-71-66=274) | 7 strokes | ![]() |
35 | 3 Jul 1983 | Kanto Pro Championship (4) | −10 (69-68-70-35=242)* | 1 stroke | ![]() |
36 | 2 Oct 1983 | Japan Open Golf Championship | −7 (72-69-71-69=281) | Playoff | ![]() |
37 | 4 Dec 1983 | Golf Nippon Series (3) | −7 (70-71-66-74=281) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
38 | 15 Jun 1986 | Sapporo Tokyu Open (4) | −15 (65-67-72-69=273) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
39 | 27 Jul 1986 | Japan PGA Championship (3) | −16 (66-68-69-69=272) | 4 strokes | ![]() |
40 | 31 Aug 1986 | KBC Augusta (3) | −6 (74-72-69-67=282) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
41 | 7 Sep 1986 | Kanto Open (4) | −13 (72-69-70-68=279) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
42 | 26 Apr 1987 | Dunlop International Open1 | −11 (69-67-69-72=277) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
43 | 20 Sep 1987 | ANA Open | −6 (72-70-68-72=282) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
44 | 11 Oct 1987 | Japan Open Golf Championship (2) | −9 (70-68-71-70=279) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
45 | 6 Dec 1987 | Golf Nippon Series (4) | −7 (67-71=138)* | Shared title with ![]() | |
46 | 1 Oct 1989 | Tokai Classic (2) | −13 (67-69-71-68=275) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
47 | 26 Nov 1989 | Casio World Open | −14 (70-70-65-69=274) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
48 | 27 May 1990 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament | +1 (70-76-71-72=289) | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
49 | 27 Oct 1991 | Bridgestone Open | −10 (71-63=134)* | 1 stroke | ![]() |
50 | 31 May 1992 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament (2) | −11 (69-66-71-71=277) | 4 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
51 | 29 Nov 1992 | Casio World Open (2) | −11 (76-66-64-71=277) | 4 strokes | ![]() |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36/63 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (4–9)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1973 | Pepsi-Wilson Tournament | ![]() |
Won with birdie on sixth extra hole |
2 | 1973 | World Friendship | ![]() ![]() |
Lu won with birdie on first extra hole |
3 | 1974 | ANA Sapporo Open | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
4 | 1976 | Tokai Classic | ![]() ![]() |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
5 | 1979 | Japan Open Golf Championship | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Kuo won with birdie on fourth extra hole Aoki and Uehara eliminated by birdie on first hole |
6 | 1981 | Shizuoka Open | ![]() |
Won with par on third extra hole |
7 | 1981 | Golf Nippon Series | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
8 | 1983 | Niigata Open | ![]() ![]() |
Shigenobu won with par on first extra hole |
9 | 1983 | Japan Open Golf Championship | ![]() |
Won with par on second extra hole |
10 | 1984 | Chunichi Crowns | ![]() |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
11 | 1986 | Suntory Open | ![]() |
Lost to par on first extra hole |
12 | 1991 | Fujisankei Classic | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Fujiki won with birdie on second extra hole |
13 | 1991 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Nelson won with par on fourth extra hole Ballesteros eliminated by birdie on third hole Blake eliminated by par on first hole |
PGA Tour of Australia wins (1)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 22 Jan 1989 | Coca-Cola Classic | −9 (69-73-66-71=279) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Other wins (8)
[edit]- 1971 Kanto Pro Championship (Japan)
- 1972 Kanto Pro Championship (Japan)
- 1973 Gold Beck
- 1977 Jun Classic
- 1978 Colgate World Match Play Championship (England)
- 1982 Old Sones Invitational, Daikyo Open
- 1987 Fred Meyer Challenge (with Payne Stewart)
Senior PGA Tour wins (9)
[edit]No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 27 Sep 1992 | Nationwide Championship | −8 (70-66=136)* | 1 stroke | ![]() |
2 | 18 Sep 1994 | Bank One Senior Classic | −14 (69-64-69=202) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
3 | 25 Sep 1994 | Brickyard Crossing Championship | −11 (66-67=133)* | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
4 | 27 Aug 1995 | Bank of Boston Senior Classic | −12 (69-66-69=204) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
5 | 26 May 1996 | BellSouth Senior Classic | −14 (64-68-70=202) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
6 | 30 Jun 1996 | Kroger Senior Classic | −15 (63-69-66=198) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
7 | 28 Sep 1997 | Emerald Coast Classic | −14 (71-60-65=196) | Playoff | ![]() |
8 | 14 Jun 1998 | BellSouth Senior Classic (2) | −18 (62-66-70=198) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
9 | 19 May 2002 | Instinet Classic | −15 (69-67-65=201) | 4 strokes | ![]() |
*Note: Tournament shortened to 36 holes due to weather.
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (1–4)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1994 | The Transamerica | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
2 | 1995 | The Tradition | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
3 | 1997 | Emerald Coast Classic | ![]() |
Won with par on second extra hole |
4 | 1998 | Coldwell Banker Burnet Classic | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
5 | 2000 | State Farm Senior Classic | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
Japan Senior PGA Tour wins (9)
[edit]- 1994 Japan Senior Open
- 1995 American Express Grand Slam, Japan Senior Open
- 1996 Japan Senior Open
- 1997 Japan Senior Open
- 2000 N. Cup Senior Open
- 2002 N. Cup Senior Open
- 2007 Japan Senior Open
- 2008 Kinojo Senior Open
Results in major championships
[edit]Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T28 | CUT | T34 | CUT | T45 | CUT | 19 | T25 | T16 | CUT | CUT | T25 | |||
U.S. Open | T36 | 2 | T11 | T30 | T16 | T14 | T50 | T33 | T33 | ||||||||
The Open Championship | CUT | T7 | T7 | T12 | T11 | T20 | T47 | T7 | CUT | ||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T4 | T49 | CUT | CUT | T36 | CUT | T38 | T17 | T40 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1977 Open Championship)
"T" = tied
Summary
[edit]Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 7 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 9 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
Totals | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 42 | 29 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 7 (1988 Masters – 1990 U.S. Open)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)
Results in The Players Championship
[edit]Tournament | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | CUT | T43 | T15 | T7 | CUT | T24 | T60 | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Results in senior major championships
[edit]Results not in chronological order before 2012.
Tournament | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senior PGA Championship | 3 | T5 | T5 | 2 | T20 | T44 | T15 | T62 | T20 | CUT |
The Tradition | 6 | T9 | 2 | T12 | 2 | T13 | T28 | T47 | T35 | |
Senior Players Championship | T5 | T3 | 6 | T30 | T2 | 3 | T14 | T18 | T17 | 21 |
U.S. Senior Open | T20 | 10 | T3 | 11 | T49 | T4 | CUT | T47 | T2 | T18 |
Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Senior PGA Championship | CUT | T27 | T62 | T28 | CUT | CUT | CUT | |||
The Tradition | T20 | T53 | T32 | T67 | T71 | T57 | 64 | |||
Senior Players Championship | T12 | T28 | T18 | 52 | ||||||
U.S. Senior Open | T30 | T45 | CUT | |||||||
Senior British Open Championship | T14 | T22 | T36 | T60 | CUT | 50 | CUT | DQ | CUT | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
DQ = disqualified
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Note: The Senior British Open Championship did not become a major until 2003.
Team appearances
[edit]- World Cup (representing Japan): 1973, 1974
- Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing Japan): 1985, 1999, 2000
- Nissan Cup/Kirin Cup (representing Japan): 1985, 1987, 1988
- UBS Warburg Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002
- Dynasty Cup (representing Japan): 2003 (non-playing captain), 2005 (non-playing captain)
Honours
[edit]- Member of the World Golf Hall of Fame (2004)
- Medal with Purple Ribbon (2008)
- Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette (2015)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Week 23 1987 Ending 7 Jun 1987" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ "All-time money list on the Japan Tour". Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ^ Everill, Ben; Livsey, Laury (17 October 2021). "From Miyamoto to Matsuyama: A look at Japan's PGA Tour history". PGA Tour.
- ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking". Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ Aoki to play in South Africa
- ^ Fisher Putters Announces Isao Aoki Win at the "2007 Japan Senior Open Championship" using a Fisher F9 Putter
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Japanese)
- Isao Aoki at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Isao Aoki at the PGA Tour official site
- Isao Aoki at the European Tour official site
- Isao Aoki at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
- Isao Aoki at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- My Philosophy No.74 Isao Aoki | InterLiteracy