The Race for Crowning Glory at The Crowns

The third event on the 2025 JGTO schedule is set to tee off on Thursday, with The Crowns ready to welcome the return of Japan’s top golfers alongside a host of international contenders at Nagoya Golf Club.
 
The first round gets underway at 7:10 a.m. (local time), with defending champion Ren Yonezawa grouped with Tomohiro Kondo and Mikumu Horikawa for the first two rounds at the Wago course.
 
With two top-10 finishes — including a runner-up result — in his first two JGTO starts of the season, Yonezawa enters as one of the favourites at the storied event, now in its 65th edition.
 
The 25-year-old is aiming to become only the third player to successfully defend The Crowns title, following in the footsteps of Isao Aoki (1978, 1979) and Shoji Ozaki, who won the tournament three consecutive times from 1995 to 1997.
 
It was at The Crowns last year that Yonezawa claimed his JGTO breakthrough, outplaying Naoyuki Kataoka with a birdie on the final hole to secure a one-shot victory after a final-round 65.
 
This year’s edition will feature past champions including Hiroshi Iwata (2021, 2023), Yuki Inamori (2022), and Ryo Ishikawa (2010). The Philippines’ Juvic Pagunsan, New Zealand’s Michael Hendry, and Korea’s Song Yong-han will aim to join a list of international winners that includes Justin Rose (2002), Darren Clarke (2001), Greg Norman (1989), and Brendan Jones (2011).