Hiroyuki Fujita is one of the biggest names in the Japan Golf Tour that you might come across. A golfer who began winning in his career in the late 1990s has continued to earn titles in all of the 4 decades ever since. The latest addition to his achievement list is the title of the 2024 US Senior Open Championship which had a prize pool of $4,000,000. As the veteran reclaimed a win after a long drought, let us navigate through his career briefly.

Hiroyuki Fujita’s personal life

Fujita started playing golf for the first time at the age of only 15. Born on 16 June 1969 in Higashi-ku, Japan, he turned pro in 1992. He has spent most of his life playing tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour. Standing 5 feet 6 inches tall, the senior golfer weighs 70kg. He studied at Senshu University.

Hiroyuki Fujita’s legacy in the Japan Golf Tour

Almost five months after turning pro, a young Fujita started playing regularly on the tour. His first win, however, came four years later at the Suntory Open, which was held in Chiba. His winning score was 14 under par, a solid three-stroke margin of victory against Masashi Ozaki.

Fujita went on to win 18 events on the Japan Golf Tour from 1997 to 2014. Most of his wins came from 2012 and 2014 where he won 4 and 3 events in the seasons respectively. Among this long list of victories, the Japanese living legend has also earned three majors on the tour. Fujita first won the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup Major in 2010 with a stroke lead from Toru Taniguchi, his formidable rival at the time.

The 55-year-old then went on to defend his title at the major for another two years, in 2011-12, making a legacy of his won. The 2012 Golf Nippon Series JT Cup was one of his most memorable wins as the golfer had a 5-stroke margin of victory.

The golfer has an impressive Japan Golf Tour playoff record. Out of 8 playoffs, he has won 5, including the 2011 Golf Nippon Series JT Cup and the 2014 Tsuruya Open. He also won the Mito Green Open and the Twin Fields Cup in the 1997 Japan Challenge Tour. With a total career earning of $95,61,709, the golfer is now affiliated with Katsuragi Golf Club.

Hiroyuki Fujita on Senior tours

Since the last three seasons, Fujita has not been disappointing his fans even as a player in his 50s. In 2022, he first won the Starts Senior Golf Tournament. Then again, he won Maruhancup Taiheiyo Club Senior in the Japan PGA Senior Tour after an 8-year drought from his last win at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup Golf that was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. The veteran won yet another Senior title the next year in the 2023 Japan Senior Open Golf Championship at the Noto Country Club.

Hiroyuki Fujita’s Career on American Soil

Fujita has tried his luck on the American courses for almost two decades now. His first appearance was in the 2005 Open Championship where he finished T41. He continued to play in 19 Majors in America, out of which he made only 5 cuts. However, it was Newport Country Club that kept Fujita very close to winning in the USA.

Fujita has been playing in the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and U.S. Senior Open Championship for two consecutive seasons. He also took part in the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club where he finished T33 and earned $19,950, the most he earned on the American Soil.

Before his final round, the 55-year-old golfer showed his concern about the hurdles of the last round. But he did not forget to mention how grateful he was to be in the position he was at that point in the game.

“The conditions are supposed to be pretty bad, from what I hear, tomorrow. I don’t have a lot of distance on my club, so I’m definitely going to be in some tough spots. I’m just going to focus on the fact that I’m playing on the last day in the last group and focus on the fact that I’m lucky to be here,” Fujita said.

In the second round of the tournament, Fujita shot a 4-under 66 with a one-shot lead. “I didn’t expect that at all. I surprised myself a little bit. But it’s only Day 2, and I want to continue to play consistently and not get too high or low and see where it takes me,” the golfer remarked after his performance.

ESPN highlighted Fujita’s remarkable improvement at the age of 55, as they noted, “An 18-time winner in Japan, Fujita had never shot in the 60s in four previous PGA Tour Champions starts, never finished in the top 120 of a PGA Tour event or in the top 30 of a major. But he has played a nearly flawless 36 holes on the 7,024-yard, par-70 A.W. Tillinghast course.”

Even after a long legacy in Japan’s golf history, Fujita is still attempting to make his name in the most prestigious golf tournament as a senior player. He might even maintain his streak of winning a Senior Major in 2024 with this season’s U.S. Senior Open Championship.