JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2012

International Victories (14)

• 2007 Munsingwear Open KSB Cup [Jpn]
• 2008 Kansai Open
• 2008 Mynavi ABC Championship [Jpn]
• 2008 Mizuno Open [Jpn]
• 2008 Sun Chlorella Open [Jpn]
• 2008 Fujisankei Classic [Jpn]
• 2008 Tokai Classic [Jpn]
• 2010 The Crowns [Jpn]
• 2010 Fujisankei Classic [Jpn]
• 2010 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]
• 2012 Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters [Jpn]
• 2014 Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup [Jpn]
• 2015 ANA Open [Jpn]
• 2015 Nippon Series JT Cup [Jpn]

National Teams

• 2009, 2011 The Presidents Cup
• 2013, 2016 World Cup
• 2009, 2011, 2013 Royal Trophy

Personal

• Started playing golf at age 6 after being introduced to the game by his father.
• Was a member of the track team in junior high school.
• Nicknamed "Hanikami Oji," translated as "Bashful Prince," for his shy smile and polite demeanor.
• In 2008, turned pro at age 16.

Special Interests

• Listening to music, playing and watching sports

Career Highlights

2017 Season

Playing the 2016-17 season on a Major Medical Extension, has 20 available events to earn 399 FedExCup points or $655,788 to remain exempt for the remainder of the year.

• ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf: Finished T6 at the ISPS HANDA World Cup with teammate Hideki Matsuyama on the Japan team at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Australia in late-November.
• CIMB Classic: In his first start since the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open in February, posted four sub-par scores at TPC Kuala Lumpur in October to claim a share of 10th place at the CIMB Classic at 13-under 275, worth 62 FedExCup points and $150,000 towards the fulfillment of his Major Medical Extension.

2016 Season

Limited to just six events in 2015-16 due to injury. Will play 2016-17 season on a Major Medical Extension, with 20 available events to earn 399 FedExCup points or $655,788 to remain exempt for the remainder of the year. Made three of six cuts. Enjoyed early-season success on the Japan Golf Tour, earning 13th career title in December of 2015.

• The Barclays: Finished T66 at The Barclays
• CIMB Classic: T35 at the CIMB Classic was his best finish.

2015 Season

Claimed a pair of top-10 finishes in 27 starts through the Wyndham Championship. Ranked 122nd in the FedExCup standings.

• Wyndham Championship: Began the week in Greensboro outside the top 125 in FedExCup points, at No. 130. By virtue of his T31 finish at the Wyndham Championship, climbed just inside the top 125, to No. 124, to qualify for the Playoffs.
• Quicken Loans National: Added a 10th-place effort at the Quicken Loans National after holding a share of the first-round lead and sole possession of the second-round lead. Shot rounds of 63-68-71-71. Marked his 10th top-10 finish in 116 PGA TOUR starts. Missed the cut in his only other Quicken Loans National appearance (2013).
• THE PLAYERS Championship: Finished T8 at THE PLAYERS with four sub-par rounds.
• Top Cup Tokai Classic: Four under-par rounds at the Top Cup Tokai Classic on the Japan Golf Tour helped him to a T6 with Masahiro Kawamura and Seuk Hyun Baek, four shots out of the Hyung Sung Kim-Shingo Katayama playoff that Kim won.
• ANA Open: At the conclusion of his PGA TOUR season, returned to Japan and met with immediate success, earning his 12th career Japan Golf Tour title. Played solid golf all week at the ANA Open on the Japan Golf Tour. Opened 68-68 and was trailed Prayad Marksaeng by four shots through 36 holes. Moved into a tie for first with a round to play after a Saturday 67 left him deadlocked with Koumei Oda at 13-under. On the final day, made a pair of back-nine birdies–on Nos. 13 and 14–to pull ahead of Yusaku Miyazato and win by two shots.
• Golf Nippon Series JT Cup: In early December, closed out the Japan Golf Tour season with a dominating five-stroke victory at the season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup. The finish marked his 13th victory on that Tour, giving him two wins during the season (ANA Open). Seized control of the tournament with a third-round 63 at Tokyo Yomiuri CC then followed with a final-round, 3-under-par 67 for a 72-hole total of 14-under 266, five clear of second-place finishers Koumei Oda and Yoshinori Fujimoto.
• Casio World Open: In late-November 2015, opened the Casio World Open in Japan with rounds of 68-65, good for a four-shot. Finished second to Jung Gon Hwang after closing with rounds of 73-68, with Hwang posting an eagle on the 72nd hole for the one-stroke victory.

2014 Season

Turned in career-best numbers in made cuts (14), starts (24), top-10s (3), top 25s (nine), money rank (75th) and FedExCup rank (72nd).

• Deutsche Bank Championship: Advanced to the second FedExCup Playoffs event near Boston for the first time in his career. Season ended with a missed cut at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Was one of six players to start the week in Massachusetts inside the top 70 (56th) in the FedExCup standings only to drop out of the Playoffs.
• World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational: Finished T4 at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. It was his best finish in seven starts in a World Golf Championships event and his best finish in 25 PGA TOUR starts. Was trying to become the second-youngest winner in PGA TOUR history, exactly one week older than Johnny McDermott was when he won the 1911 U.S. Open at the age of 19 years, 10 months, 14 days. Only three Japanese players have ever won on TOUR: Ryuiji Imada, Shigeki Maruyama (three) and Isao Aoki.
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard: Finished T8 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first top-10 in six starts at the event. Posted his career-best third top-10 finish of the season (T2 at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open).
• Farmers Insurance Open: Finished T7 at the Farmers Insurance Open, with rounds of 72-70-69-70. Led the field with 20 birdies.
• ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf: Finished fifth at the ISPS Handa World Cup as an individual at Royal Melbourne GC in late-November 2013. Teamed with Hideto Tanihara to help Japan finish fourth in the team competition.
• Nagashima Shigeo INVITATIONAL SEGA SAMMY Cup: Playing on the Japan Golf Tour in early July, hung on to win a playoff at the weather-shortened Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup. Made a birdie-4 on the final hole of regulation to force overtime with Koumei Oda then dispatched Oda in the overtime session.
• Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: Entered the final round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open again in contention, tied for fifth. Responded with a 6-under 65 in the closing frame to finish T2, matching his career best TOUR performance (second at the 2012 Puerto Rico Open). Credits his current success to the run he got on in the 2013 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. He missed the cut at the first event in the Korn Ferry Finals at the Hotel Fitness Championship followed by three straight top 10s, eventually finishing 13th on 2013 Korn Ferry Tour priority list to earn his PGA TOUR card for the 2013-14 season.
• Frys.com Open: Entered the final round of the Frys.com Open tied for seventh. A 1-over 72 in the final round led to a T21 finish.

2013 Season

Made 13 PGA TOUR cuts in 23 starts. Finished 141st in FedExCup points and earned $424,541.

• Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship: Posted a pair of weekend rounds in the 60s, which led to a T7 finish at the Korn Ferry Tour's Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship, the third of four events in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
• Chiquita Classic: Fired a 6-under 66 in the final round of the second Korn Ferry Tour Finals' event, the Chiquita Classic, to finish solo fifth in his second career Korn Ferry Tour start. Birdied three of the final six holes at River Run CC near Charlotte to complete a bogey-free round and move up in the standings.
• Wyndham Championship: After the Memorial Tournament, next-top performance was a T26 in his last start, at the Wyndham Championship.
• HP Byron Nelson Championship: Best PGA TOUR finish was a T10 at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, his first TOUR top-10 since a T9 at the 2012 Memorial Tournament.
• Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo: In mid-November, his final-round 69 left him just short of winner Hideto Tanihara at the Mitsui Sumitomi Visa Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour. Finished in a three-way T2 with Tomohiro Kondo and Masahiro Kawamura. Suffered bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17, with his eagle attempt on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff missing, leaving him to settle for a birdie and the runner-up position.

2012 Season

• the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance: Posted his second top-10 of the season, with a T9 in his first appearance at the Memorial Tournament. The T9 was worth $167,400 and pushed his unofficial earnings for the season to $763,631.
• Masters Tournament: Received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament, where he missed the cut.
• Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com: Finished a PGA TOUR career-best second at the Puerto Rico Open with rounds of 70-67-69-68 in his 31st career PGA TOUR start. Previous-best finish on TOUR was T4 at the 2011 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and earned enough money to qualify for Special Temporary Membership.
• Golf Nippon Series JT Cup: Was a distant nine shots behind winner Hiroyuki Fujita at the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup but was still able to garner a T6.
• Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo: Won for the first time in two years when he captured the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters on the Japan Golf Tour in mid-November. Opened with a 5-under 67 and added three more sub-70 rounds to hold off Michio Matsumura to record his 10th Japan Golf Tour individual title. Survived three back-nine bogeys in the final round, with all three coming over his final six holes. Made a birdie at the 18th hole to avoid a playoff.
• Mynavi ABC Championship: Was T6 again at the Mynavi ABC Championship.
• Coca-Cola Tokai Classic: At the Coca-Cola Tokai Classic in late September, was T6 after shooting a final-round 68.
• Invitational Sega Sammy Cup: At the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup in July, he opened with a 74 at The North Country GC on the Japan Golf Tour then followed with rounds of 67-66-66 to finish T3, four strokes behind winner Kyoung-Hoon Lee.
• Token Homemate Cup: A week later, at the Token Homemate Cup on the Japan Golf Tour, he T10.

2011 Season

In March, pledged to donate all of his season earnings to help the survivors of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan's Pacific coast. Also donated $1,200 for every birdie he made. Finished the Japan Golf Tour season ranked sixth on the Order of Merit.

• Presidents Cup: The youngest player on either Presidents Cup squad, he posted a 2-2-0 record for International team, including a singles victory over Dustin Johnson.
• Golf Nippon Series JT Cup: In early December, began the final round of the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup tied for the lead with Toru Taniguchi. Could only manage a 2-under 68 in the rain-shortened event to finish solo third, three strokes out of the Taniguchi-Fujita playoff.
• Fujisankei Classic: Added his final top-five of the year, a T5 at the Fujisankei Classic.
• Vana H Cup KBC Augusta: In August, was T2 at the Vana H Cup KBC Augusta, falling to Sang-Bae Moon by two strokes.
• Token Homemate Cup: Finished solo third at the Token Homemate Cup.
• Gate Way to The Open Mizuno Open: Added a T3 at the Gate Way to The Open Mizuno Open.
• Invitational Sega Sammy Cup: Second runner up finish came at the Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup. Shot four under-par rounds but still finished a distant four strokes behind Kyung-Tae Kim.
• Totoumi Hamamatsu Open: Picked up first of two runner-up performances on the Japan Golf Tour, at the Totoumi Hamamatsu Open. Shot a final-round 64 to move from sixth to a playoff with Masanori Kobayashi, an extra session he lost at the Hamamatsu Open.

2010 Season

• World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship: After waiting on site as an alternate in 2009, he made it into the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship field for the first time and finished T9, losing to Thongchai Jaidee in the third round.
• Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo: Capped his year with his third title, at the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters. Battled Austrlian Brendan Jones on the weekend, with both shooting identical 65-67s. Held off fellow countrymen Ryuji Imada and Toru Taniguchi for his 11th Japan Golf Tour title.
• Fujisankei Classic: Added additional title at the Fujisankei Classic later in the season.
• The Crowns: On May 2, shot a final-round, 12-under 58 to win The Crowns title on the Japan Golf Tour. The 58 was the lowest official score shot on a major professional tour. Trailing Shigeki Maruyama by six strokes entering the final round, birdied nine of the first 11 holes and Nos.14-16 at the 6,545-yard Nagoya GC in Togo, Japan, to win by five strokes. Finished with two pars for his eighth career Japan Golf Tour title.

2009 Season

Made a strong impression at home in Japan and worldwide, playing in six PGA TOUR events, on the International Team in The Presidents Cup and winning the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit. Finished the season in first place in the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit, becoming the youngest player to lead any tour in earnings during a season.

• PGA Championship: In mid-August, finished T56 at the PGA Championship for his first made cut in a major championship.
• The Open Championship: Missed the cut at The Open Championship after opening with a 68. Was paired with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds at Turnberry.
• Transitions Championship: Invited to play in the PGA TOUR's Northern Trust Open on a Commissioner's Foreign Exemption and the Transitions Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard and the Masters Tournament early in the year. Only made cut was a 71st-place finish at the Transitions Championship.
• Japan Open Golf Championship: The week after The Presidents Cup, lost in a three-way playoff to Ryuichi Oda in the Japan Open. Moved to 35th in the world.
• The Presidents Cup: On Sept. 8, was named as a captain's pick for the International Team in The Presidents Cup, played in early October in San Francisco. Had a 3-2-0 record in The Presidents Cup, including a 2-and-1 singles victory over Kenny Perry.
• Coca-Cola Tokai Classic: The week before his Presidents Cup debut, birdied the last two holes to win the Tokai Classic on the Japan Golf Tour for a one-stroke victory over Takeshi Kajikawa. Shot a final-round, 3-under-par 69 for a four-day total of 14-under 274 for his fourth Japan Tour title of the year of moved to No. 43 in the world.
• Fujisankei Classic: In early September, fired a second-round 65 to take the lead and won the Fujisankei Classic by five strokes over Daisuke Maruyama. The victory, his third in six Japan Golf Tour events occurring over a 10-week period, kept him first in the Japan Golf Tour's Order of Merit. Also improved to 47th in the Official World Golf Ranking, becoming the youngest player to ever make the top 50.
• Sun Chlorella Classic: In early August, won the Sun Chlorella Classic on the Japan Golf Tour, leading wire to wire and finishing with a birdie on the final hole to earn a one-stroke win over Brendan Jones.
• Gate Way To The Open Mizuno Open: Won the Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour in late June. Held a three-stroke lead entering the final round, but made a 9 on the par-4 12th hole to fall into a tie before chipping in for eagle on the par-5 16th hole and going on to a three-stroke win.
• Royal Trophy: Member of the winning Asian Team in the Royal Trophy in early January 2009. Scored one point in Asia's first victory over Europe by a score of 10-6. Halved four-ball match with teammate Toru Taniguchi vs. Europe's Soren Hansen and Paul Lawrie and halved singles match with Hansen. Teamed with Taniguchi to lose to Hansen and Lawrie in foursomes. Played in the first match each day.

2008 Season

Made 24 starts on the Japan Golf Tour and posted seven top-10s, finishing fifth on the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit and earning more than $1.1 million. By the close of the season, had become the youngest golfer to be ranked in the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

• Kansai Open Golf Championship: Won the Kansai Open, a non-Japan Golf Tour event, in August.
• Dunlop Phoenix: Was the runner-up at Dunlop Phoenix.
• Japan Open Golf Championship: Was the runner-up at the Japan Open.
• Mynavi ABC Championship: In November, won his second Japan Golf Tour event at the Mynavi ABC Championship, beating Keiichiro Fukabori by one stroke.

2007 Season

• Munshingwear Open KSB Cup: In May 2007, as a 15-year-old, won the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup on the Japan Golf Tour, making him the youngest winner of a Japanese men's event. Because of storm delays, shot 69-66 in Sunday's 36-hole finish. Was 15 years, 8 months as the winner, while Seve Ballesteros was age 20 years, 7 months when he won the 1977 Japan Open. Only teenager to win on Japan Golf Tour since the Tour formed in 1973.