Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Japan Challenge Tour | |
Formerly | AbemaTV Tour |
---|---|
Sport | Golf |
Founded | 1985 |
First season | 1985 |
Countries | Based in Japan |
Most titles | Tournament wins: Gohei Sato (5) Masamichi Uehira (5) |
Related competitions | Japan Golf Tour |
The Japan Challenge Tour, currently titled as the Abema Tour for sponsorships reasons, is a series of developmental golf tournaments run by the Japan Golf Tour Organization. It has been in operation since 1985.
In 2023, the schedule featured 12 tournaments, with prize funds of mostly ¥15,000,000.[1] This is about a tenth of the level of prize money per event on offer on the main Japan Golf Tour, with the main tour also having a longer season.
In January 2018, the tour signed a sponsor title agreement with AbemaTV, being renamed as the AbemaTV Tour for the 2018 season onwards.[2] The agreement lasted until the end of the 2024 season.[3]
In July 2018, it was also announced that the tour would be included into the Official World Golf Ranking starting in 2019, with the winner receiving a minimum of 4 points for a 54-hole event.[4]
The top 20 players earn entry into the Japan Golf Tour.[5]
The Abema TV Tour will be introduced to the OWGR at minimum points levels of 4 first place points for its tournaments that are played over 54 holes.
Players who finish inside the top-20 on the money list will earn their main JGTO cards in 2023.