The New Zealand Open has been won by an Aussie for the past
four years and while the Kiwis would like to see that change it might in fact
be a Japanese player hoisting the trophy at the end of the week.

20 players from the Japan Golf Tour have made the trip to Queenstown for the BMW ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open and they aren’t here just to make up the numbers.

It’s a seriously strong contingent with seven players from the top-20 on the 2015 JGTO money list here this week.

Described yesterday as an unknown quantity by Ryan Fox, the highest ranked New Zealand player in the field, we are here to fill you in on some of the genuine contenders for the title.

Yasaku Miyazato:Finishing second on the Japan money list last year, Miyazato has jetted into Queenstown direct from playing in the WGC – Cadillac Championship won by Adam Scott. A three time winner on the Japan Golf Tour his victories have come one each in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In addition to his victory at the prestigious Dunlop Pheonix he recorded a further nine top-10 finishes last year. At 101 in the Official World Golf Rankings, Miyazato is the highest ranked player in the field this week.  

Yoshinori Fujimoto:26-year-old Fujimoto turned Professional in 2012 and recorded his first victory the same year. He also competed in his just major that year at The Open where he finished T54. Fujimoto added another win to his resume the following year at the 2013 Toshin Golf Tournament.
Despite not recording a victory since then, Fujimoto finished 4^th on the 2016 Japan Tour money list courtesy of 11 top-10 finishes. Another win seems to be on the horizon for Fujimoto who had three runner-up finishes last year.

Hideto Tanihara:A prolific winner on the Japan Golf Tour, Tanihara has notched up 11 career victories. His most recent win came last year at the Heiwa PGM Championship which helped him finish 7^th on the money list. He recorded a further six top-10 finishes last year. Tanihara
has continued that form into this year having already finished T6 at the Singapore Open this year.

I J Jang: From Korea, Jang competes full time on the Japan Golf Tour where he has won three times, his most recent victory coming at The Crowns last year. He recorded six top-11 finishes last year to end the season 12^th on the money list.

Hyung-Sung Kim:  Having played on the Japan Golf Tour since 2009, Kim has won four times on the tour. He has won every year on since 2012 with his most recent being at the Top Cup Tokai Classic. He recorded a further four top-11 finishes to be placed 16^th on the money
list at the end of the season. So far this year Kim has played three tournaments and failed to make the cut.

Daisuke Kataoka:27-year-old Kataoka splits his time playing between the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour. His first win in a professional tournament came at the Chushikoku Open in 2007 when he was still an amateur. Kataoka recorded his first victory as a Pro last year at the Kansai
Open on the Japan Tour. He had a further five top-10 finishes to be 18^th on the money list.

Toshinori Muto:The 7^th highest ranked Japan Tour player here this week Muto also carries the most experience around The Hills and Millbrook. Last year he finished T23 at the New Zealand Open, an improvement on the previous year where he missed the cut. When the NZ PGA Championship
was played at The Hills in 2013 he finished T8. Muto has won six times on the Japan Golf Tour, his most recent victory coming last year at the ISPS HANDA Global Cup. Muto recorded a further four top-10 finishes to finish 19^th on the money list.

Enjoying his first trip to Queenstown, Hideto Tanihara has brought his family combining the tournament with a holiday.

"This is my first time to New Zealand and it’s very, very beautiful," said Tanihara whose wife is famous Japanese singer and actress, Ayaka Nagate.

"My family are here with me too and they are also very happy to be here."

But it’s not all about site seeing for Tanihara who is looking to make the cut in the BMW ISPS HANDA New Zealand Open, playing on courses foreign to him.

"My aim this week is to make the cut. I am also looking forward to playing the pro-am format," added Tanihara.

"The Hills is a very tough course, there is nothing like it in Japan. It will be a good experience for me to play here."