A long shot has officially earned a spot in the 2026 Masters.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Naoyuki Kataoka, the 500th-ranked player in the world, won the Japan Open at Nikko Country Club on the Japan Golf Tour, which punched a ticket to next year\u2019s Masters and British Open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a dream come true for me,\u201d the 27-year-old the the Japan Times<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m really happy to be able to play in the Masters and The Open.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports Illustrated\u2019s Free Golf Newsletters. dark. Sign Up Now. SI Golf Newsletters<\/p>\n It had been a turbulent few years for Kataoka. He hasn\u2019t won since the 2021 Japan Players Championship and, prior to last week, only recorded two top 10s this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n But everything came together at the right time. In the Japan Open, he finished a 3 under with a final-round 68. He then clipped Satoshi Hara with a par on the first playoff hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc09\u65e5\u672c\u30aa\u30fc\u30d7\u30f3\u30b4\u30eb\u30d5\u9078\u624b\u6a292025\ud83d\udc35<\/p>\n 7\u6253\u5dee\u306e6\u4f4d\u30bf\u30a4\u304b\u3089\u6700\u7d42\u65e5\u3092\u30b9\u30bf\u30fc\u30c8\u3057\u305f\u7247\u5ca1\u5c1a\u4e4b\u304c4\u30d0\u30fc\u30c7\u30a3\u30012\u30dc\u30ae\u30fc\u306e\u300c68\u300d\u3092\u30de\u30fc\u30af\ud83d\udc4f
\u901a\u7b973\u30a2\u30f3\u30c0\u30fc\u3067\u4e26\u3093\u3060\u539f\u654f\u4e4b\u3068\u306e\u30d7\u30ec\u30fc\u30aa\u30d5\u306e\u672b\u300121\u5e74\u4ee5\u6765\u306e\u30c4\u30a2\u30fc2\u52dd\u76ee\u3092\u98fe\u308a\u307e\u3057\u305f\ud83e\udd17\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/byFjpcwSDQ<\/a><\/p>\n