JGTO to host 2025 Qualifying School First and Second Stage Legs In the U.S. for the first time

The Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) will hold a leg each of the First Stage and Second Stage of its 2025 Qualifying School in the United States for the first time in June and July respectively as it seeks to create a new pathway for elite golfers to compete in its 2026 season.
 
JGTO Chairman Yutaka Morohoshi said: “We are excited to be able to host the early qualifying stages of our 2025 Qualifying School at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, California for the first time in our history. 
 
“This is part of our initiatives to create new playing opportunities and easier access for golfers in the Americas to take the first steps to qualify and compete on the Japan Golf Tour in 2026. The journey for aspiring golfers can now begin in California next month and we look forward to welcoming a good turnout of participants.”
 
The First Stage at Oak Valley will be played over four rounds with no cut on June 29, 2025, with an anticipated 100 players vying for approximately 35 spots (approximately 30% of the starting field) to advance into the Second Stage.
 
Successful players will then tee up in the Second Stage on July 7, 2025 where the anticipated 35 qualifiers from the First Stage will join another 15 exempt players for a further four rounds with no cut. Approximately 15 to 20 players (30% of the starting field) will then advance to the Third Stage, which will be held on three different sites in Japan from December 2-5. The all-important Fourth and Final Stage will be played at Chiba Isumi Golf Club in Japan from December 9-12.
 
The entry fee to the 2025 Qualifying School is US$3,150 and the closing date for entries for the First Stage and Second Stage at Oak Valley is June 10 and July 5, 2025 respectively. Further information and registration details are available on https://jgtousq.bluegolf.com/.
 
One of the most prominent American golfers who achieved success on the Japan Golf Tour prior to gaining global fame was Todd Hamilton, who won 11 times in Japan from 1992 to 2003. He later earned his card on the PGA TOUR in 2004 where he won the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches and claimed his only major victory at The Open Championship where he upset Ernie Els of South Africa in a playoff at Royal Troon.
 
Paraguay’s Carlos Franco also achieved five wins when he played full time on the Japan Golf Tour from 1994 to 1998 before going on to establish himself on the PGA TOUR where he won four times. 
 
This season, the Japan Golf Tour will stage a minimum of 24 tournaments with a total prize purse of more than JPY 3.4 billion (approximately US$21 million) on offer to its members. 
 
About the Japan Golf Tour Organization 
Japan Golf Tour was founded in 1973 as the nation's premier professional golf tour. It was organised by the PGA of Japan until 1999 when the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) was created to run the tour and separate from the PGA of Japan. 
 
Being a member of the International Golf Federation (IGF), events on the Japan Golf Tour count for World Golf Ranking points, and also provide opportunities for members to qualify for major championships. The JGTO also runs a developmental tour called the ACN Tour.
 
For further information, please contact:
Amigo (Yutaka) Urayama
Director 
Sales Planning / International Affairs Department
urayama@jgto.org
 
Tomo Kuga 
tomokuga@aol.com