Top Asian Golfers on PGA Tour are Isao Aoki, Yang Yong-Eun, Hideki Matsuyama, Kim Yeongsu, Kanaya Takumi, Charoenkul Gunn, and others.
The year 2022 marked a remarkable year in the PGA Tour for the pro golfers of Asian identity. While they made records around the PGA events all year, golfing associations have also broadened their business reach in Asia.
PGA Tour and DP World Tour have announced further enhanced partnerships with the Japan Golf Tour, Korea PGA, and the Professional Golf Tour of India. Hence, all these regions’ top linkmen will have much-refined access to career pathways to PGA.
As last year saw Asian players' popularity reach new heights, Japan and South Korea have made it to the list of the top five world golf markets.
Similarly, South Korean golfers have been found to spend more on their golf equipment and apparel than any other country.
With Asians' spontaneous and growing preference for golf over other sports, the following list includes the current big names on PGA Tour.
Isao Aoki - Japan
Isao Aoki is the first Asian and Japanese male golfer to win on the PGA Tour back in 1983. Six feet tall Aoki turned professional in 1964.
Isao had won the Sony Open (now known as Hawaii Open) at Waialae Country Club in Hawaii back then. The same year, he also bagged the Panasonic European Open, registering each win on PGA and European Tour for life.
He mainly played on Japan Golf Tour and won 51 times from 1973 to 1992, the second-most wins in the league after Masashi Ozaki's 94 wins.
Besides his home ground, Aoki won the 1989 Coca-Cola Classic on the PGA Tour of Australasia. With a record total professional wins of 80, the elderly Isao also played on the Senior PGA Tour after turning 50.
He turned 50 on August 31, 1992, and won Nationwide Championship, the same year he joined. Isao last won The Instinet Classic in 2002 before departing as the Chairman of the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.
At 80 years, Aoki continued to attend board meetings, play in tournament pro-ams, and walk the driving range to talk to young golfers. He also addressed the newly improved partnership deals between JTGO, PGA, and European Tour in December 2022.
Yang Yong-Eun - South Korea
Widely known as the "Son of the Wind," "The Tiger Killer," or Y.E. Yang, Yang is the first Asian to win a Major championship.
Yong-Eun is the 2009 PGA Champion who had scrapped off the title by three winning margins against the golfing legend Tiger Woods. Thanks to the iconic triumph, he has come across as one of the biggest role models for the new generation of Korean golf enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, the 2009 PGA Championship is his only major win so far. His other PGA arena win was the Honda Classic which he won in 2009.
Yong-Eun went on to bag three victories on European Tour in 2006, 2009, and 2010. Similarly, he also bagged five Japan Golf Tour wins and three Korean Tour wins, adding to his 12 professional wins so far.
Yang now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. The Korean veteran turned 50 on January 15, 2022, thus he joined the senior's club a month later.
Hideki Matsuyama - Japan
Hideki Matsuyama is probably among the most well-known Asian golfer. After all, he is the first-ever Japanese to bag a major golf championship.
Matsuyama is the winner of the 2021 Masters Tournament held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. The 31-year-old linksman has also bagged 17 professional wins so far in his career.
He is also a former world No. 2 golfer, a position he reached on June 18, 2017. The rank has been his highest ever, and the highest ever for a male Japanese golfer.
Regarding his wins on PGA Tour, Hideki has won eight events to date with the 2014 Memorial Tournament being his first one. Meanwhile, his other wins are his eight victories on the European Tour.
Coming into June 2023, Hideki tied for the 16th position at the 2023 Memorial Tournament held at Muirfield Village Golf Club from June 1 to 4.
Zheng Kai Bai - China
Zheng Kai Bai plays on the PGA Tour China and ASA Tour. As of 2023, Kai has already played in seven events in the ASA and China Tours.
Zheng was last seen swinging his Taylormade golf club at the Exciting Hangzhou West Lake Open, finishing in the 13th position. Known by his English name, Bobby, Zheng is currently 25 years old. He is best known for finishing at the 4th in the 2014 Asian Games at the age of 16.
Bobby was born in Shantou, China, and immigrated to the State when for his studies in 11th grade. He attended high school at Sean Foley Performance Academy in Lake Mary and graduated from the University of Central Florida.
After turning pro in 2019, his first win came in the same year when he won the Huangshan Championship over David Kocher.
Kim YeongSu - South Korea
Kim Yeongsu was born on 19 May 1989 in Changwon, South Korea. He turned pro in 2009 and has not seen brighter days in his career so far.
However, Kim made a comeback last year by winning the 2022 LG Signature Players Championship and Genesis Championship. The two wins are his only recorded wins in his career so far.
Thongchai Jaidee - Thailand
Thongchai Jaidee is the first Thai to play in all four Major Championships. Jaidee made a cut in all major championships from 2001 to 2009.
Moreover, the former paratrooper is the first Thai to win a European Tour event, triumphing at the 2004 Carlsberg Malaysian Open. Since then, Thongchai bagged seven more wins on the tour till 2016 at Open de France.
After turning 50 on November 8, 2019, Jaidee joined the PGA Tour Champions Club. On June 12, 2022, he again made history as the first Thai to win on the senior club by bagging the American Family Insurance Championship.
Jaidee is also a part of the European Senior Tour and Asian Tour, besides the PGA senior club. He turned pro in 1999 and has continued to date.
Kanaya Takumi - Japan
Former Top 50 golfer Kanaya Takumi is not a regular on PGA Tour. However, he made a cut in both the 2021 and 2022 PGA Championship.
The 25-year-old youth from Hiroshima currently plays on all European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, and Asian Tour. Takumi turned pro in 2020 and has grabbed five professional wins to date.
Kanaya won four events on the Japan Golf Tour, followed by one victory at the 2023 International Series Oman of Asian Tour. He has collected total official earnings of $308,789 from the 19 events that he has played so far.
Charoenkul Gunn - Thailand
Charoenkul Gunn currently plays on Japan Golf Tour, Asian Tour, and All Thailand Golf Tour. Gunn was previously a part of the PGA Tour China.
The 31-year-old Bangkok native has bagged 12 professional wins since becoming a pro in 2011. One of his most notable achievements so far is his qualification for the 2019 Open Championship when he finished T3 at the Mizuno Open. However, he missed the cut.
Charoenkul has earned a place to play at the upcoming US Open, after he scored 26 holes in Japan on May 22. He along with Ryutaro Nagano and Ryo Ishikawa, are on their way towards the major event.
Anirban Lahiri - India
Anirban Lahiri from India previously played on the ground of the PGA Tour. Lahiri joined the Asian Tour in 2008, a subsidiary of PGA.
He turned pro in 2007 and has won 18 titles in his career. He has won seven times on the Asian Tour and is in a tiebreaker for the ninth-most-wins record with Charlie Wi and Kang Wook-soon from South Korea.
Regarding his accomplishments in the Asian Tour, Lahiri is the 2014 and 2015 Players' Player of the Year. The Economic Times reported that he was awarded the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2015.
Meanwhile, Lahiri has played in all major tournaments to date though his best was at the 2019 U.S. Open when he made a cut but failed to win the title.
Tanihara Hideto - Japan
Tanihara Hideto is one of the many Asian golfers on the PGA Tour to have played in all 4 major events, including the PGA Championship.
However, he has been unsuccessful in lifting the trophy. His last notable play was back at the 2016 and 2017 Masters when he made the cut.
Hideto currently plays on the Japan Golf Tour but was previously a part of the PGA Tour, European Tour, and LIV Golf. The 44-year-old Japanese turned pro in 2001 and has grabbed 18 wins so far.
