Live Streaming
The Dunlop Phoenix Tournament will be streaming practice scenes from the driving range (Phoenix Golf Academy) live on our website. We will also be streaming the images from hole No.13 to No.18 (simulcast with GAORA SPORTS on the first and second day), and images of OUT course which won’t be terrestrial broadcasted (simulcast with GAORA SPORTS on the third and final day). We will be offering various videos from ones recorded by Mainichi broadcasting system and highlights and interviews of after the round on each day to moving images captured by high-speed camera. This is our schedule of live streaming this year.
Time zone: UTC+9 (Tokyo)
-Live Stream (Hole No.13 - No.18)
16/11(Thu) 10:00-15:00
17/11(Fri) 10:00-15:00
-Live Stream (Hole No.1 - No.9)
18/11(Sat) 9:00-13:30
19/11(Sun) 8:00-12:30
-Live Stream (Driving Range)
16/11(Thu) 8:00-9:30
17/11(Fri) 8:00-9:30
18/11(Sat) 8:30-9:00
19/11(Sun) 7:30-8:00
Streaming will be available via mobile devices. PC recommend for high definition images.
Dunlop Phoenix Tournament 2017 Preview
This year marks the 44th Dunlop Phoenix Tournament(DPT). Eighty-four top players are going to compete for the prize money total amount of $1,818,182 (winner $363,636)(exchange rate $1=\110) at the Phoenix Country Club in Miyazaki from the 12th to 19th of November.
We happily announce main players for the tournament this year. First of all, Brooks Koepka (Age 27) who won the tournament last year and became a major champion by winning the US Open in 2017, will challenge the tournament as a defending champion. If Koepka achieves his consecutive win, he will be the fifth player after Luke Donald’s achievement in 2012 and 2013 ｛Others are Larry Mize (1989-1990), Masashi Ozaki (1994-1996), and Tiger Woods (2004-2005)｝.
And also Hideki Matsuyama (Age 25) who couldn’t make it to the tournament last year due to playing in ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf with Ryo Ishikawa, has decided to join this year’s tournament for the 6th time. Matsuyama won the three championships in 2016-2017 season at WGC-HSBC Champions, Waste Management Phoenix Open, and WGC-Bridgestone Invitation in PGA Tour. On top of that, he became the first Japanese golfer to win WGC victory and to be ranked second in the world. He also showed us success breaking the various records by finishing the regular season as the first in FedEx Cup point ranking (final rank of 8th after finishing Playoffs). We cannot miss how he plays at Dunlop Phoenix Tournament for the first time in two years.
From the PGA tour, Xander Schuauffele (Age 24) who won at The Greenbriar Classic and the Playoffs, Wesley Bryan (Age 27) who is a RBC Heritage champion, and Cody Gribble (Age 27) who won the Sanderson Farms Championship will join the tournament for the first time. In addition, Harold Varner III (Age 27) who competed last year in DPT and two weeks later achieved his first victory as a pro at the Australian PGA Championship will return to Miyazaki.
Now in the global golf world, Hideki Matsuyama and other players in their mid 20's are taking an active role as a golden generation. We would like to show you "World Golf Now" at the tournament in Miyazaki.
Stay tuned for Koepka’s consecutive win as a major champion
Brooks Koepka ran a match race against Yuta Ikeda and beat him at his first appearance in the tournament. After that, Koepka won the U.S.Open. This year he will return to Miyazaki as a major champion, aiming for consecutive win.
<Players with consecutive wins>
1) Larry Mize (1989-1990)
2) Masashi Ozaki (1994-1996)
3) Tiger Woods (2004-2005)
4) Luke Donald (2012-2013)
Yuta Ikeda tied course record with 61 last year. What will happen this year?
Eleven birdies with a bogey reaching to ten-under 61 recorded by Yuta Ikeda on the last day of the last year's tournament was equal to Shigeki Maruyama’s course record established on the third day in 1999. In addition to chasing up Koepka, Ikeda broke the record for most birdies through 18holes (eleven) and achieved a hole-in-one at the hole 3 on the second day of the tournament making it the 31st hole-in-one of the tournament in total. He showed a good chemistry with the course. We are looking forward to his rematch with Koepka who now is a major champion.
Who will the No.1 on the money list this year? …Satoshi Kodaira, Yusaku Miyazato, Yuta Ikeda…
Battle to win $363,636 prize money which affects the battle to become the top money list
After Japan Open last week, Satoshi Kodaira is No.1 on the money list now followed by Yusaku Miyazato who is 2015 DPT champion, then Yuta Ikeda who declared his third victory in this season at Japan Open and 2010 DPT champion to the third. Three are in a dead heat for the money ranking where they switch positions every week within the difference of only about $87,000.
Will Satoshi Kodaira continues to be No. 1 on the money list as present, and will we see couple of top money list husband and top money list wife with Miho Koga married in March for the first time in history? Will players’ chairperson and long-time seeker Yusaku Miyazato win the top finally, or will Yuta Ikeda keep his position as top earner following last year, or…? Prize money of $363,636 seems to have good influence on money ranking battle.
Yuta Ikeda of 2010 champion, Hideki Matsuyama of 2014 champion, and Yusaku Miyazato of 2015 champion are all from Tohoku Fukushi University and also close to win the money list
Yuta Ikeda of 2010 champion played outstandingly being last year’s top earner and marking score of 61 at last year's Dunlop Phoenix Tournament on the last day for the first time in 17 years, which is tied for the course record. Although his participation to domestic tour is less due to concentrating on Major tournaments in this season, he declared two victories and sees consecutive winning for the money list. The 2014 champion Hideki Matsuyama actively joined the PGA tour and ranked third in the world, which makes him be in a class by his own, and he is also No.1 Japan Tour money list of 2013. Yusaku Miyazato is the champion of 2015 tournament and is at the closest to be the top earner with three wins in this season. Unexpectedly, these three are all graduates of Tohoku Fukushi University and are in the position of or closest to the top earner. We might be able to see fierce battle among school seniors and juniors at this year's tournament.
What is the possibility of winning for players who made their debut at the tournament?
Among the invited players who will be competing at this year's tournament, three players including Xander Schauffele, Wesley Bryan and Cody Gribble are making their debut. Schauffele is the front-runner with two victories in the season and achieving the title of rookie of the year. Brian and Gribble both have a victory at PGA Tour in the season and can be said to have enough ability to compete. Eight players have accomplished taking first place in their first competition at Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, including Johnny Miller of the first tournament, Calvin Peete, David Frost, Ernie Els, David Duval, Pádraig Harrington, Eduardo Molinari, and last year's winner Brooks Koepka. Will the winner come out of the players making their debut this year?
All players who won major championships this season have experience playing at Dunlop Phoenix Tournament
World’s superstars including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods have played at the tournament many times and continued its history. This is the history and one of the appealing points of the tournament, but now it has more than that. Looking at the champions who won in four major championships this year, we can see that they all have played at Dunlop Phoenix Tournament before achieving their title. Sergio García, who has brilliant achievements such as 10 wins at PGA Tour including the Masters and 19 wins at European Tour, has played at the tournament immediately after his debut and competed with Thomas Bjørn at the playoffs in 1999. Brooks Koepka won 2016 DPT and 2017 US Open, and Jordan Spieth got a major championship at the Masters in the following year competing in the tournament. Justin Thomas, who played in the last group on the final day of the tournament last year, showed his success by achieving five wins this year including the first major championship at the PGA Championship and being the winner of FedEx Cup this year. Even if they don’t win the tournament, Spieth, Thomas, and Koepka have proved that playing at DPT opens the door to the world. We hope that you give attention to future big names as well.
＜2017 Major championship winners＞
Masters Tournament - Sergio García (Played at DPT at age 19 to 23）
(1999, 2002, and 2003. Lost to Thomas Bjørn in the playoffs and stood second in 1999 DPT）
U.S.Open - Brooks Koepka (Age 27）
(Won the match race with Yuta Ikeda at 2016 DPT）
The Open Championship - Jordan Spieth （Age 25）
（Placed third, went round in the same group as Hideki Matsuyama for four days at 2014DPT）
PGA Championship - Justin Thomas（Age 24）
(Tied for forth, went round in the last group at 2016 DPT)
