Yomiuri International Golf Tournament in Japan

The Yomiuri International was a 72-hole, men's golf tournament in Japan played in the years before the creation of the Japan Golf Tour. It took place 10 times from the early 1960s to the early 1970s, and typically featured a healthy contingent of international golfers.

First played: 1962

Last played: 1971

When the Yomiuri International was first played in 1962, it was part of the tour called the Far East Circuit. That name later changed to Asia Golf Circuit. The Japan Golf Tour was not founded until 1973.

The tournament got off to an auspicious start with future Hall of Famer Peter Thomson, already a 4-time British Open winner by then, winning the inaugural tournament. Thomson's 278 score remained the tournament scoring record throughout the event's history, as did his 8-stroke margin of victory over runner-up Al Balding.

American Doug Sanders won the second iteration over Japan's Hideyo Sugimoto, who himself then won the following year. However, Sugimoto's 1964 victory is the one year in the tournament's history in which it was not sanctioned by the Far East Circuit.

When Irishman Hugh Boyle won the 1966 Yomiuri, it marked the first win in Japan by any golfer from the British Isles. Another Hall of Famer, David Graham, made the 1970 tournament one of his earliest professional wins.

Winners of the Yomiuri International

1962 — Peter Thomson, 278
1963 — Doug Sanders, 289
1964 — Hideyo Sugimoto
1965 — Frank Phillips, 288
1966 — Hugh Boyle, 286
1967 — Mitsutaka Kono, 282
1968 — Chen Ching-Po, 283
1969 — Guy Wolstenholme, 288
1970 — David Graham, 286
1971 — Haruo Yasuda, 282 (def. Kosaku Shimada in playoff)

Golf course: For its full 10-year-run, the Yomiuri International was played at Yomiuri Country Club in Tokyo.