The East Course at Kasumigaseki Golf Club will host the men’s and women’s competitions for Tokyo 2020. This club has hosted significant championships throughout its long history.

The East Course will be the venue for both the men’s and women’s competitions over the next two weeks. Starting Thursday, the men take the stage, followed by the women next week.

 

 

 

 

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Kasumigaseki Golf Club is one of the oldest and most traditional clubs in Japan and holds a special significance for Hideki Matsuyama, the local star for Tokyo 2020.

Matsuyama secured two major amateur titles here. One was the 2009 Japan Junior, and the following year, the Asia-Pacific Amateur (held on the club’s other course, the West Course), which earned him a spot in the 2011 Masters where he finished as low amateur.

In 1957, Kasumigaseki hosted the Canada Cup, later renamed the World Cup. That year, the Japanese team pulled off a massive upset against the powerful U.S. squad led by Sam Snead and Jimmy Demaret.

As mentioned, Kasumigaseki is a historic Japanese club; the East Course opened in 1929 and the West Course in 1932. It was the first club in the country to boast 36 holes. The East Course was redesigned two years after its opening by the British architect C.H. Alison.

Alison did not receive as much contemporary recognition as some of his peers, but in 1919 he partnered with Alister MacKenzie and Harry Colt to form the firm Colt, MacKenzie & Alison. Alison even served as a consultant on the design of Pine Valley, considered by many to be the best golf course in the world.

Over the years, legends like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen have played exhibitions at Kasumigaseki.

In 2014, Tom Fazio and his son Logan were brought in to make modifications to the course ahead of these Olympic Games. One of the changes the Fazios implemented was providing a single green for each hole, as several holes previously featured double greens. The course will play at approximately 7,500 yards for the men.

“We kept the essence of the course but adjusted some details to ensure it is competitive by today’s standards,” Tom Fazio commented regarding the updates to the East Course.

Our region will have strong representation:

Argentina

Magdalena Simmermacher

Chile

Mito Pereira and Joaquín Niemann

Colombia

Juan Sebastián Muñoz and Mariajo Uribe

Ecuador

Daniela Darquea

Mexico

Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Gaby López, and María Fassi

Paraguay

Fabrizio Zanotti

Puerto Rico

Rafael Campos and María Fernanda Torres

Venezuela

Jhonattan Vegas

Everything is set for the East Course at Kasumigaseki Golf Club to welcome the men and women competing for medals in an Olympic Games that had to wait an extra year due to the pandemic. Now, it’s showtime!