Kanaya awarded the Mark H McCormack Medal
Takumi Kanaya (WAGR photo)
Takumi Kanaya has been awarded the Mark H McCormack Medal for 2020 as the world’s top player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The 22-year-old senior at TohokuFukushi University makes history as the first player from Japan ever to win the award.
Not even the great Hideki Matsuyama was able to win the McCormack Award, although he was the last Japanese player before Kanaya to be ranked number one in the world.
Like many of the world's top players, the 2018 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship winner has not competed much in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did cement his position as the final number one with a 5th-place finish in a professional event, the Fujisankei Classic on the Japan Golf Tour. It was an impressive finish considering it was his first competitive rounds of 2020.
Kanaya is comfortable playing with the professionals, winning the 2019 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, and finishing 3rd in the 2019 Australian Open.
As the McCormack Medal recipient, Kanaya earns exemptions into the 2021 U.S. Open and British Open championships.
Among notable past winners of the Mark H. McCormack Medal are Danny Lee of New Zealand (2008), Patrick Cantlay of the U.S. (2011), Matthew Fitzpatrick of England (2013) and Jon Rahm of Spain (2015). Last year's McCormack winner was Cole Hammer of the U.S.
Related: Cole Hammer wins Mark H. McCormack medal as top-ranked am
The award is named after World Golf Hall of Famer Mark McCormack, thefounder of IMG and an avid supporter of golf.