PGA Tour opens offices in Asia

The PGA TOUR continued its commitment to growing the game of golf in Asia with the formation of an office in Tokyo and the hiring of Masashi Ishii as Vice President and Managing Director. Ishii, advice a Japan native, is a well-known sports executive who will guide the PGA TOUR’s Japan office’s activities as it increases the TOUR’s business efforts in the country and region.

Ishii previously had been serving as President of the Jupiter Golf Network since 2010, overseeing all aspects of that company’s golf entertainment distribution. Jupiter Golf Network, a PGA TOUR rights holder and broadcaster of PGA TOUR tournaments for more than two decades, is the flagship channel of Jupiter Telecommunications Inc., a company where Ishii has worked for the last 15 years. Prior to joining Jupiter Telecommunications, Ishii coordinated broadcasting rights for golf and tennis properties for IMG Media between 1996 and 2001.

“Japan has always been an important market for golf, and the PGA TOUR sees this as the right time for us to increase our commitment in a country that is rich in golf tradition,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “We have been involved in Japan with our television rights for a long time, and several of our partners are Japanese companies. When we look back on the 2001 World Cup at Taiheyo Club in Gotemba City, we consider it one of the great successes we’ve enjoyed in Japan. With golf’s return to the Olympics, and the Summer Games scheduled for Tokyo in 2020, this is an ideal time for us to continue working with all our stakeholders as we grow golf in Japan.

“Bringing in Masa is an important first step,” Finchem continued, “and employing his expertise to oversee our efforts is a critical part of what we’re trying to accomplish. I am thrilled that Masa has agreed to guide our team in Japan.”

With the opening of this office, the PGA TOUR will also work closely with the Japan Golf Tour Organization as the two tours continue to help strengthen the game in Japan.