Koichi Ono

Koichi Ono (小野 光一, Ono Kōichi, 19 May 1919 – 6 November 2000[1]), born Son Shi Kin, was a Japanese professional golfer.

Professional career

Ono was one of the leading golfers on the Japanese circuit during the 1950s. He won the Japan Open Golf Championship, the nation's most prestigious tournament, three times. He also won the 1955 Japan PGA Championship. Around this time in his career he changed his name to Koichi Ono.

Ono is best known for his performance in the 1957 Canada Cup. Ono and his playing partner Torakichi Nakamura were hosts at the event, held at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan. The Canada Cup, a precursor to the World Cup, featured an elite field that included Sam Snead, Gary Player, and Peter Thomson.[2] Nakamura and Ono won the event, and won easily, defeating Americans Jimmy Demaret and Snead by nine shots.[3] The American sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind, writing in Sports Illustrated, compared it to Francis Ouimet's famous upset victory at the 1913 U.S. Open.[2] The event was widely televised in Japan and helped spur a golfing boom in the country.[4]

This good play helped Ono and Nakamura receive special foreign invitations to the 1958 Masters Tournament. They were the first non-white players to play at the Masters.

Ono continued to play well throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, winning the Kanto Pro Championship an additional four times.

Professional wins

Team appearances

References
  1. golfdendou.jp
  2. Whicker, Mark (15 February 2017). "Hideki Matsuyama has picked up mantel for Japanese players". Daily News. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  3. O'Neill, Dan (1 March 2019). "Tokyo runs rings around Rio for golf in '20". www.morningread.com. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  4. "The Canada Cup and the Golfing Boom in Japan". Kasumigaseki Country Club. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
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