Out of the Rough: TOTO Japan Classic (2026)

The LPGA Tour is set to make its final stop in Asia after a four-event stay with this week’s TOTO Japan Classic. 

From here, the Tour will return to the states for two events to put a cap on the 2026 season, beginning with the The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican.

This week’s event is co-sanctioned between the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour.

The TOTO Japan Classic was first played in 1973 and has been played every year since, at various locations.

The TOTO Japan Classic returns to the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course for the first time since 2023. Since 2016, this event has rotated between the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course and the North Course at the Seta Golf Course. This will be the fifth time that the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course has hosted this event.

The last two installments were held at the Seta Golf Course. 

The Field

Just as has been the case for each of the previous three stops in Asia, this week is also a limited field event, featuring 78-golfers.

A total of eight golfers within the top-25 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be teeing it up this week in Japan.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul headlines this week’s field. She’ll be joined by Miyu Yamashita (fourth,) Hyo Joo Kim (sixth,) Hannah Green (tenth,) Shiho Kuwaki (11th,) Aki Iwai (18th,) Minjee Lee (20th) and Nasa Hataoka (21st) as those ranked within the top 25 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings to be playing this week.

This has been an event dominated by Japanese golfers as five-of-the-past-seven winners won on home soil between the Taiheiyo Club Minori Course and Seta Golf Course.

Other notable Japanese golfers outside of the aforementioned Yamashita, Kuwaki, Aki Iwai and Hataoka playing this week include Chizzy Iwai, Minami Katsu, Rio Takeda, Erika Hara, Yuri Yoshida, Ayaka Furue and Hinako Shibuno.

As previously mentioned, this event is co-sanctioned between the LPGA Tour and LPGA of Japan Tour.

A total of 13 golfers within the top-100 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings playing on the LPGA of Japan Tour will be playing this week.

The LPGA of Japan Tour is led by Kuwaki as well as other notable names Shuri Sakuma, Yui Kawamoto, Yuna Araki, Fuka Suga, Ai Suzuki, Kana Nagai and Yuzuki Yoshizawa.

Hataoka won last year’s installment at the Seta Golf Course.

Mone Inami of Japan won the 2023 installment, the last one played at this week’s host course. She will not be playing this week.

The only former winner of this event at Taiheiyo Club Minori Course playing this week is Jiyai Shin (2020.)

The Course

The Taiheiyo Club Minori Course plays as a par-72 at 6,598 yards.

It was built on the Kanto Plain and designed by Shunji Kurakami. It opened in April of 2022.

The course is laid out amongst dense Japanese groves with mature trees and natural forest boundaries guarding the fairways.

The gentle rolling fairways do seem wider than they actually are and demand accuracy off-the-tee.

Water does come into play on multiple holes this week, either bordering the fairways or cutting directly into the line of play.

Strategically placed bunkers are featured in many landing-areas off-the-tee. Some bunkers come into play roughly 50-yards from the green which could penalize those who take an aggressive approach. This suggests that laying-up off-the-tee may be the best option this week.

From there, golfers will attack these large, fast and undulating Bentgrass greens that are oftentimes guarded by deep and large bunkers on both sides. 

With the bunkers guarding the shallow greens, approach shots are required to be high and towering to find the correct landing areas.

The green complexes also feature run-off areas as well.

The par-four fourth is the hardest hole on the course.

The par-five ninth features a water hazard that extends down the right side of the fairway, extending to the hole.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, there is a 70-percent chance of showers on Thursday. Friday is calling for a 40-percent chance of morning showers. Saturday is calling for essentially a zero-percent chance of precipitation as Sunday is calling for just a five-percent chance. Temperatures are set for a high of 62-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 71-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will return to 63-degrees on Saturday and will be the coolest on Sunday with highs of 60-degrees. Winds are slated for eight miles-per-hour on Thursday, six miles-per-hour on Friday, eight miles-per-hour on Saturday and seven miles-per-hour on Sunday.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Stokes Gained: Driving (SG: DRIVE)

• Driving Accuracy Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Three-Putt Avoidance

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Scrambling

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Par-Five Average Scoring

• Birdie or Better Percentage

Betting Card

Check back for my full betting card!

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