Pacific Club Karuizawa Resort Asama Course to Host 2027 "Sony Japan Women's Open Golf Championship"!

To Whom It May Concern, May 1, 2026 Pacific Club Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Han Jun; hereinafter "Pacific Club") is pleased to announce that the 2027 "Sony Japan Women's Open Golf Championship" will be held at the "Asama Course" of Pacific Club Karuizawa Resort (Gunma Prefecture, Asama Course 18H, Par72 / Shirakaba Course 18H, Par72; hereinafter "Karuizawa Resort"). Since the rebirth of Pacific Club in 2014, we have pursued the vision of "Top of the Top" and promoted "Our Club, Our Course." Karuizawa Resort is a luxurious stay-type resort course beloved by many, featuring the 36 holes of Asama/Shirakaba spread across the vast land of Northern Karuizawa overlooking Mt. Asama, a high-end shop brand "Select The Club KARUIZAWA," an elegant hotel "Villa The Club KARUIZAWA," four hotel dining options, and a private room "Cave Mulligan" with a wine cellar storing 1,000 bottles of wine at all times. In 2023, Rees Jones, a world-renowned golf course architect and son of the famous golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Sr., renovated the Karuizawa Resort's "Asama Course." With the theme of "Restoration = Return to Origin," the renovation primarily involved changing bunker placements, teeing areas, and parts of the fairway lines, showcasing a "world-class resort course unique to Karuizawa," distinct from the Gotemba Course. In 2024, the PGA Senior Tour "Maruhan Cup Pacific Club Senior" was held on the renovated "Asama Course," marking its start as a championship course. In May 2026, the design unit "Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design" (Ohio, USA; hereinafter "Fry/Straka"), consisting of Dana Fry and Jason Straka who are active globally from their US base, will undertake the renovation of the "Shirakaba Course." This will be Fry/Straka's first renovation in Japan, and upon completion, all 36 holes of Karuizawa Resort will have been renovated, transforming it into a unique resort course with two distinct courses and activities designed by world-class architects. (Please refer to the separate press release "Announcement of Pacific Club Karuizawa Resort Shirakaba Course Renovation") The "Sony Japan Women's Open Golf Championship" is a domestic women's major sponsored by the Ladies Professional Golfers' Association of Japan (JLPGA). Founded in 1968, it boasts a rich tradition, with a total prize money of 200 million JPY and a winner's prize of 36 million JPY in 2026. This is Japan's premier official tournament, where players like Hisako Higuchi, Ayako Okamoto, Ai Miyazato, and Jiyai Shin have previously triumphed. For Pacific Club, this marks its first hosting at Karuizawa Resort and its return to hosting the tournament after 23 years, following the 2002 (Rokko Course), 2003 (Konan Course), and 2004 (Mashiko Course) tournaments. 2027 will be the momentous 60th edition of the tournament. Please look forward to the hosting of this wonderful tournament steeped in tradition and prestige. Asama Course Renovation | Rees Jones Rees Jones was born into a family of golf course designers, his father being the famous golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. He learned to play golf from a young age and competed as a junior golfer. After studying at Yale University and Harvard University, he gained extensive practical experience working for his father's design firm before establishing his own. In 1974, he founded "Rees Jones Inc.," a golf course design company headquartered in Montclair, New Jersey, his hometown. He gained attention for renovating The Country Club in Massachusetts in anticipation of the 1988 U.S. Open and has since been dubbed the "Open Doctor" for his work on course renovations not only for the U.S. Open but also for the PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Walker Cup, and Presidents Cup. He has designed or renovated over 250 golf courses in North America and overseas. 2004: Tom Morris Award for Golf Course Superintendent, 2012: Robert Mosel Master Builder Award, New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame, 2013: American Society of Golf Course Architects Donald Ross Award, 2014: American Society of Golf Course Builders Don A. Rossi Award, 2015: Northern California Golf Association Hall of Fame, etc. Bethpage Black / Congressional CC / Torrey Pines / The Country Club / Baltusrol GC / Atlanta Athletic Club / Hazeltine