Kazuma Kobori
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New Zealand| Kazuma Kobori | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | 25 October 2001 Karuizawa, Japan | ||||||
| Sporting nationality | New Zealand | ||||||
| Residence | Rangiora, New Zealand | ||||||
| Career | |||||||
| Turned professional | 2023 | ||||||
| Current tours | European Tour PGA Tour of Australasia | ||||||
| Former tour | Charles Tour | ||||||
| Professional wins | 5 | ||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 4 | ||||||
| Other | 1 | ||||||
| Best results in major championships | |||||||
| Masters Tournament | DNP | ||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2024 | ||||||
| U.S. Open | DNP | ||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT: 2024 | ||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Kazuma Kobori (born 25 October 2001) is a New Zealand professional golfer.[1] He won the 2019 New Zealand PGA Championship as an amateur, as well as the individual title at the 2023 Eisenhower Trophy.[2]
In 2001, Kobori was born in Karuizawa, Japan. He moved to Canterbury, New Zealand, with his family when he was six.
Kobori was educated at Rangiora High School.[3]
Amateur career
In 2019, Kobori was runner-up at the Australian Boys' Amateur. He won the SEC NZ PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia and was runner-up at the Carrus Open on the Charles Tour.[4]
In 2023, Kobori cemented his position as New Zealand's top male amateur golfer. He won the Australian Amateur two strokes ahead of Arron Edwards-Hill of England.[5] He also won the Western Amateur at North Shore Country Club near Chicago, an Elite Amateur Series championship,[6] and captured the individual honors at the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi. He was only the second New Zealander to win the individual title following Phil Tataurangi in 1992.[7] He claimed an early lead at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and ultimately finished 6th.[8]
Kobori started in five events on the 2023 PGA Tour of Australasia as an amateur and recorded three top-10s, including a tie for 6th at the New Zealand Open. He was awarded the Bledisloe Cup as the leading amateur.[9] He turned professional after finishing sixth at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Melbourne.[10]
Professional career
In November 2023, Kobori made his professional debut at the Queensland PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia where he finished in a tie for 9th, two strokes behind winner Phoenix Campbell. At the start of 2024, Kobori won three consecutive WebEx Players Series tournaments,[11] claiming the Order of Merit,[12] as well as being awarded with Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honours.[13][14]
Personal life
Amateur wins
- 2017 Boys Championship of Victoria
- 2018 Southland 54 Hole Strokeplay Championship, Boys Championship of Victoria
- 2019 Canterbury Men's Stroke Play Championship, South Island Stroke Play Championship,
- 2021 Southland 54 Hole Strokeplay Championship, Otago Strokeplay Championship, South Island Stroke Play Championship
- 2022 Otago Strokeplay Championship, Canterbury Stroke Play, Muriwai Open
- 2023 Australian Amateur, Western Amateur, Eisenhower Trophy (individual medalist)
Source:[16]
Professional wins (5)
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (4)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 Mar 2019 | SEC NZ PGA Championship (as an amateur) |
−21 (67-65-66-69=267) | 4 strokes | David Smail |
| 2 | 21 Jan 2024 | Webex Players Series Murray River | −21 (65-66-64-68=263) | 2 strokes |  Shannon Tan |
| 3 | 28 Jan 2024 | Webex Players Series Victoria | −18 (66-66-65-69=266) | 1 stroke |  Ashley Lau |
| 4 | 11 Feb 2024 | Webex Players Series Sydney | −24 (65-64-69-66=264) | 1 stroke |  Jenny Shin |
Charles Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Apr 2022 | Autex Muriwai Open (as an amateur) |
−10 (66-65-69-68=278) | 4 strokes | Harry Bateman |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |
| PGA Championship | CUT |
| U.S. Open | |
| The Open Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the halfway cut