Japanese golf star Ryo Ishikawa will headline a formidable group of Japan’s top champions at the inaugural International Series Japan, a US$2 million tournament set for May 8-11 at Caledonian Golf Club in Chiba.
Ishikawa, 33, a veteran of the Japan Golf Tour with 21 career victories—including two in the previous season—will be making his first appearance in The International Series. He will compete alongside notable compatriots such as Taiga Semikawa, Yuta Sugiura, and Ren Yonezawa, each of whom has multiple wins on the Japan Golf Tour.
Semikawa, a four-time winner in Japan, made history in 2022 by becoming the first amateur in 95 years to capture the Japan Open, and also claimed the Panasonic Open as an amateur that same year. As a professional, he added the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup and Kansai Open Golf Championship to his résumé last season.
Another standout, Sugiura, won the prestigious Dunlop Phoenix Tournament as an amateur in 2023 and followed up with a victory at the Japan PGA Championship after turning professional. Yonezawa enjoyed a remarkable run in 2024, capturing titles at The Crowns and the Yokohama Minato Championship.
Takashi Ogiso, the 2024 Hana Bank Invitational champion, will also compete, along with fellow Japanese players Naoyuki Kataoka and Taihei Sato.
Other confirmed participants include Shugo Imahira, a 10-time winner in Japan, and Jinichiro Kozuma, the country’s sole LIV Golf League representative. International names such as Harold Varner III (USA), Lucas Herbert (Australia), and Asian Tour rising star Taichi Kho will also be in the field.
International Series Japan is the third event of the year in The International Series, which features 10 elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour, offering increased prize money and a direct path to the LIV Golf League.