Tsuneyuki Nakajima
Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima (Japanese: 中嶋常幸, born (中島常幸) 20 October 1954) is a Japanese professional golfer.
Tsuneyuki Nakajima 中嶋常幸 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Nickname | Tommy | ||
Born | Gunma Prefecture, Japan | 20 October 1954||
Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
Weight | 88 kg (194 lb; 13.9 st) | ||
Nationality | ![]() | ||
Career | |||
Turned professional | 1975 | ||
Current tour(s) | Japan Golf Tour | ||
Professional wins | 56 | ||
Highest ranking | 4 (1986) | ||
Number of wins by tour | |||
Japan Golf Tour | 48 (3rd all-time) | ||
Other | 8 | ||
Best results in major championships | |||
Masters Tournament | T8: 1986 | ||
PGA Championship | 3rd: 1988 | ||
U.S. Open | T9: 1987 | ||
The Open Championship | T8: 1986 | ||
Achievements and awards | |||
|
Nakajima was born in Gunma. He turned professional in 1975. He has won 48 events on the Japan Golf Tour, ranking third on the most Japan Golf Tour wins list. He also was the leading money winner four times in five years: 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986. He is second on the career money list (through 2009).
Nakajima featured in the top 5 of the Official World Golf Rankings and was ranked in the top-10 for 85 weeks from their debut in 1986 to 1987.[1] He ranked as high as fifth on its predecessor McCormack's World Golf Rankings.
At the 1978 Masters Tournament, Nakajima made a 13 on the par-5 13th hole. After hitting his fourth shot into Rae's Creek, Nakajima elected to play the ball rather than take a drop. He popped the ball straight up and it landed on his foot, causing a two-stroke penalty. When he handed the club to his caddie, it slipped out of his hand and fell into the creek, incurring another two-stroke penalty. He chipped over the green, chipped back on and two-putted for the highest single-hole score in the history of the tournament.[2]
Also in 1978, Nakajima was in contention at the Open Championship on the third day at St Andrews until he putted into – and then took four attempts to escape from – the Road Hole bunker at the 17th for a quintuple bogey, which led the British tabloids to christen that bunker, for a while, "the Sands of Nakajima". Nakajima's best finish in a major was third at the 1988 PGA Championship.
He would also feature in an epic match at the 1982 Suntory World Match Play Championship at Wentworth when he lost to Sandy Lyle only after an extended playoff.
Amateur wins
this list may be incomplete
- 1973 Japan Amateur Championship
Professional wins (56)
Japan Golf Tour wins (48)
Legend |
Japan Opens (4) |
Other Japan Golf Tour (44) |
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 Oct 1976 | Golf Digest Tournament | −9 (68-73-67-71=279) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
2 | 25 Sep 1977 | Japan PGA Championship | −11 (73-65-67-72=277) | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
3 | 1 Jun 1980 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament | −12 (65-71-72-68=276) | 4 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
4 | 25 Apr 1982 | Dunlop International Open | −12 (71-66-68-71=276) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
5 | 9 May 1982 | Fujisankei Classic | −7 (67-73-66-71=277) | Playoff | ![]() |
6 | 1 Jul 1982 | Naganoken Open | −7 (70-67=137) | ||
7 | 15 Aug 1982 | JPGA East-West Tournament | −17 (65-62=127) | ||
8 | 5 Dec 1982 | Golf Nippon Series | −17 (72-72-66-73=283) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
9 | 20 Mar 1983 | Shizuoka Open | −5 (72-72-68-71=283) | ||
10 | 15 May 1983 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship | 38 holes | ![]() | |
11 | 22 May 1983 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament (2) | −10 (65-70-71-72=278) | 6 strokes | ![]() |
12 | 31 Jul 1983 | Japan PGA Championship (2) | −9 (66-72-69-72=279) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
13 | 14 Aug 1983 | JPGA East-West Tournament (2) | −5 (68-71=139) | Playoff | ![]() |
14 | 11 Sep 1983 | Suntory Open | −14 (66-73-67-68=274) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
15 | 18 Sep 1983 | ANA Sapporo Open | −6 (71-70-72-69=282) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
16 | 13 Nov 1983 | Gold Win Cup Japan vs USA | −3 (76-65=141) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
17 | 5 Aug 1984 | Japan PGA Championship (3) | −9 (68-69-67-71=275) | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
18 | 2 Sep 1984 | Kanto Open | −8 (73-69-65-69=276) | ||
19 | 23 Jun 1985 | Yomiuri Open | −17 (65-71-67-72=275) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
20 | 7 Jul 1985 | Kanto Pro Championship | −6 (68-70-69-67=274) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
21 | 22 Sep 1985 | ANA Open (2) | −11 (68-71-69-69=277) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
22 | 13 Oct 1985 | Japan Open Golf Championship | −3 (75-68-72-70=285) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
23 | 17 Nov 1985 | Taiheiyo Club Masters | −8 (67-72-67-74=280) | Playoff | ![]() |
24 | 24 Nov 1985 | Dunlop Phoenix Tournament | −13 (67-68-70-70=275) | 3 strokes | ![]() ![]() |
25 | 18 May 1985 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship (2) | 6 & 5 | ![]() | |
26 | 1 Jun 1986 | Mitsubishi Galant Tournament (3) | −8 (73-68-69-70=280) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
27 | 29 Jun 1986 | Mizuno Open | −13 (69-65-68-37=239)* | 6 strokes | ![]() |
28 | 29 Jun 1986 | Kanto Pro Championship | −19 (68-69-65-67=269) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
29 | 12 Oct 1986 | Japan Open Golf Championship (2) | −4 (70-73-72-69=284) | 1 stroke | ![]() ![]() |
30 | 19 Oct 1986 | Polaroid Cup Golf Digest Tournament (2) | −9 (68-68-67-72=275) | Playoff | ![]() |
31 | 4 Oct 1987 | Tokai Classic | −6 (71-72-73-66=282) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
32 | 1 Jul 1990 | Kanto Pro Championship (2) | −13 (67-67-68-69=271) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
33 | 16 Sep 1990 | ANA Open (3) | −11 (69-70-68-70=277) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
34 | 7 Oct 1990 | Japan Open Golf Championship (3) | −7 (68-71-73-69=281) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
35 | 23 Jun 1991 | Yomiuri Open (2) | −16 (65-65-71-71=272) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
36 | 13 Oct 1991 | Japan Open Golf Championship (4) | +2 (72-74-71-73=290) | Playoff | ![]() |
37 | 24 May 1992 | Pepsi Ube Kosan Open | −13 (67-72-64-72=275) | 5 strokes | ![]() |
38 | 2 Aug 1992 | NST Niigata Open | −13 (70-68-67-70=275) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
39 | 6 Sep 1992 | Japan PGA Match-Play Championship Promise Cup (3) | 3 & 1 | ![]() | |
40 | 19 Sep 1993 | ANA Open (4) | −14 (67-67-67-73=274) | 4 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
41 | 5 Dec 1993 | Golf Nippon Series Hitachi Cup (2) | −18 (69-65-69-67=270) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
42 | 20 Mar 1994 | Dydo Shizuoka Open | −8 (71-71-69-69=280) | Playoff | ![]() |
43 | 17 Apr 1994 | Tsuruya Open | −9 (68-70-70-71=279) | Playoff | ![]() |
44 | 22 May 1994 | Pepsi Ube Kosan Open (2) | −16 (65-67-67-69=268) | 3 strokes | ![]() |
45 | 7 May 1995 | Fujisankei Classic (2) | −12 (66-70-70-66=272) | 2 strokes | ![]() |
46 | 2 Jun 2002 | Diamond Cup Tournament | −19 (67-66-68-68=269) | 2 strokes | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
47 | 17 Nov 2002 | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (2) | −16 (69-66-67-70=272) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
48 | 12 Nov 2006 | Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters (3) | −13 (71-68-71-65=275) | 1 stroke | ![]() |
*Note: The 1986 Mizuno Open was shortened to 63 holes due to poor weather.
Japan Golf Tour playoff record (7–6)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1978 | Japan PGA Championship | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
2 | 1981 | Golf Digest Tournament | ![]() |
|
3 | 1982 | Fujisankei Classic | ![]() |
Won with par on first extra hole |
4 | 1983 | JPGA East-West Tournament | ![]() |
|
5 | 1985 | Taiheiyo Club Masters | ![]() |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
6 | 1986 | Golf Digest Tournament | ![]() |
Won with par on fifth extra hole |
7 | 1990 | Golf Nippon Series Hitachi Cup | ![]() |
Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
8 | 1991 | Japan Open Golf Championship | ![]() |
Won with par on first extra hole |
9 | 1992 | Japan PGA Championship | ![]() |
Lost to par on second extra hole |
10 | 1994 | Dydo Shizuoka Open | ![]() |
Won with par on first extra hole |
11 | 1994 | Tsuruya Open | ![]() |
Won with par on second extra hole |
12 | 2002 | JCB Classic Sendai | ![]() |
Lost to par on second extra hole |
13 | 2004 | JCB Classic Sendai | ![]() ![]() |
Kamiyama won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (3)
- 1976 Young Lions Tournament
- 1977 Young Lions Tournament
- 1986 Nissan Cup Individual Trophy
Japan Senior PGA Tour wins (5)
- 2005 Japan Senior Open
- 2006 Japan PGA Senior Championship, Japan Senior Open
- 2008 Japan Senior Open
- 2013 Starts Senior Golf Tournament
Results in major championships
Tournament | 1978 | 1979 |
---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | CUT | |
U.S. Open | ||
The Open Championship | T17 | CUT |
PGA Championship |
Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T16 | T33 | T47 | T8 | CUT | T33 | CUT | |||
U.S. Open | T26 | CUT | T53 | T9 | T32 | |||||
The Open Championship | T36 | T8 | T59 | |||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T10 | CUT | T47 | CUT | 3 |
Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T10 | CUT | CUT | |||||||
U.S. Open | ||||||||||
The Open Championship | CUT | T55 | T49 | |||||||
PGA Championship | CUT | T21 | CUT | T61 | CUT | T52 |
Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | |||
U.S. Open | |||
The Open Championship | CUT | ||
PGA Championship |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 6 |
U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 |
PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 6 |
Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 37 | 22 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 4 (1986 Masters – 1986 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (six times)
Results in The Players Championship
Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Players Championship | T16 | T54 | CUT | T64 | T15 | T27 | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Japan): 1996
- Nissan Cup/Kirin Cup (representing Japan): 1985, 1986 (winners), 1987, 1988
- Dunhill Cup (representing Japan): 1986
- Dynasty Cup (representing Japan): 2003
References
- 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
- Winokur, Jon (2002). How to Win at Golf: Without Actually Playing Well. Pavilion Books. p. 14. ISBN 978-1862055919.
External links
- Tsuneyuki Nakajima at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Tsuneyuki Nakajima at the Official World Golf Ranking official site