Rikuya Hoshino Player Profile And What's In The Bag
By: Derek Clements | Mon 12 Feb 2024
Rikuya Hoshino of Japan captured his first DP World Tour title by shooting a final round of 68 to win the Qatar Masters by a stroke.
Hoshino, 27, rolled in a par putt from five feet at the 18th hole and punched the air in delight after holding off playing partner, Ugo Coussaud of France, who birdied the last to finish alone in second place.
"Of course I was nervous,” said Hoshino, who shot four rounds in the 60s at Doha Golf Club and finished on 14 under par, "but I tried to keep enjoying it. I'm honoured to win at this wonderful tournament. I was second at the last two Australian tournaments so I'm so happy to finally win."
It was just Hoshino's 34th appearance on the tour and he has already had two runner-up finishes this season, at the Australian Open and the Australian PGA Championship.
He is the fourth Japanese winner in European Tour history, after Isao Aoki, Hideki Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune.
Hoshino started the final round in a share of the lead with Coussaud and Rasmus Hojgaard, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 68. Hojgaard faded by shooting 73. Scotland's Scott Jamieson produced the round of the day with a seven-under-par 65, moving 15 places up the leaderboard on Sunday to take third. Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin was a shot further back in fourth after a final round 70.
Player Profile
He was born on May 12, 1996 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.
Hoshino turned professional in August 2016. In early 2017, he won the Novil Cup on the Japan Challenge Tour. He then moved to the Japan Golf Tour. His first win came in September 2018 at the Fujisankei Classic, which he won by five shots. With eight more top-10 finishes he finished 2018 as the sixth-highest money winner on the tour. Hoshino qualified for the 2018 US Open, but missed the cut.
In May 2019, Hoshino lost in a playoff for the Kansai Open before claiming his second Japan Golf Tour event at the Fukushima Open. A third-place finish in the Japan PGA the next week lifted him into the top-100 in the world rankings. Later in 2019, he finished runner-up in the RIZAP KBC Augusta.
Hoshino won the Fujisankei Classic for the second time in 2020, beating Mikumu Horikawa at the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Hoshino has made a terrific start to the new DP World Tour season. Although he missed the cut at the Dubai Desert Classic, he finished second at the Australian Open and Australian PGA and tied 12th at the Bahrain Championship and is second in the Race to Dubai.
Last 10 Events
Qatar Masters - 1st
Bahrain Championship - T12th
Ras Al Khaimah Championship - CUT
Dubai Desert Classic - CUT
Australian Open - 2nd
Australian PGA Championship - 2nd
Dunlop Phoenix Tournament - T26th
Qatar Masters - T36th
Andalucia Masters - T26th
Open de Espana - WD
Key Stats
Driving Distance - 302 Yards
Driving Accuracy - 56.35%
Greens in Regulation - 69.75%
Sand Saves - 58.82%
Putts Per Round - 28.02
End of Year World Ranking
2020 - 114
2021 - 97
2022 - 109
2023 - 89
What's In Rikuya Hoshino's Golf Bag
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II
Fairway Wood: Srixon ZTX 5-wood
Irons: Srixon Z585 (4), Z945 (5-9)
Wedges: Cleveland Golf RTX3 52°, 56°, 60°
Ball: Srixon Z-STAR Diamond
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