Toto Japan Classic winner Inami Monet to stay in Japan instead of the U.S.

Inami Monet (JPN), the winner of the Toto Japan Classic, has decided to stay in Japan instead of joining the U.S. Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour.

“Inami Monet has decided not to accept the LPGA Tour membership she earned by winning the Toto Japan Classic,” Golfweek, an American golf publication, reported on June 6. As a result, the $300,000 in prize money and 500 CME Globe points she earned for winning the Toto Japan Classic will not be included in the LPGA Tour’s official record.

If a non-member wins an LPGA Tour event, he or she will be eligible for immediate membership without having to go through the Q-School, which is a pro-test. Ahn, Hong, Jin-ju, Lee, Ji-young, Baek, Jeong, Jin-young, Ko, and Jeon have all won LPGA Tour events in South Korea and realized their dreams of playing in the United States. 캡틴토토 도메인

Inami shot a 3-under 69 in the final round of the Toto Japan Classic at the par-72 Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, to win by one stroke over Bae Sun-woo and Kuwaki Shiho with a final total of 22-under 266. Had Inami declared for the LPGA Tour immediately, she would have been eligible to play in this week’s $3.25 million Anika Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican in Florida, USA.

Inami Monet was named Monet after her mother, the French painter Claude Monet. Born in 1999, Inami made her debut on the JLPGA Tour in 2019, winning her first victory on the Century 21 Ladies, and went on to win a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and eight victories on the JLPGA Tour.

Hinako Shibuno (JPN), who competed in the Toto Japan Classic, won the AIG Women’s British Open, a major, in 2019 and had a chance to make the LPGA Tour, but like Inami, she declined to join and returned to the Japan Tour. Two years later, however, Shibuno played her rookie season last year on the LPGA Tour’s Q-School in 2021 and is yet to win a tournament.