Hayato Kobayashi wins senior division at Oura Open again

Hayato Kobayashi kept the pressure on the senior division with a second victory of the 2026 Japan FootGolf Tour, winning the Oura Open at Itakura Golf Course and strengthening a title bid built on far more than one hot round. The senior winner received ¥20,000 and a case of Sapporo Black Label beer, but the larger prize is the way Kobayashi keeps separating himself from the field.

The Oura Open was played June 21 as a one-round, 18-hole stroke-play event in Gunma Prefecture, with the Japan FootGolf Association listing the tournament as open to licensed tour players and approved guests. Adult entry was set at ¥12,000 and student entry at ¥7,500, and the event ran with men's, senior, senior-plus and women's divisions, a reminder that Japan’s circuit is deep enough to sustain a full competitive slate around its headline names.

Kobayashi’s latest result fits a season that has rarely let rivals breathe. His player profile already showed an earlier senior win at the Aichi Shinshiro Cup on February 15, plus runner-up finishes at the 54th SHIELDS Open, Koyama Open 2026 and Chubu Open 2026, along with third at the Aichi Open 2026. That kind of ledger explains why he entered the Oura Open ranked No. 1 on the Japan Tour senior leaderboard and why the June 22 rankings still placed him atop the Japan senior standings.

The story here is not only that Kobayashi won again, but that he is winning in a way that suggests control rather than variance. Repeated podiums across the first half of the season have given him a cushion in the standings and the look of a player setting the pace instead of chasing it. In a senior division that is producing repeat contenders, Kobayashi has turned consistency into separation.

The result also carries international weight. The Federation for International FootGolf maintains global rankings across men, seniors, women and regions, and Japan’s senior men’s roster for the 2026 FootGolf World Championship in Acapulco included Kobayashi alongside several national-team teammates. Japan’s senior group stage in Mexico, from May 27 to June 7, featured Italy, Chile and Germany in Group E, a sharp reminder that the standard Kobayashi is meeting at home is being tested against the sport’s best abroad. His Oura Open win does more than add to the trophy count. It underlines how serious and how competitive Japan’s senior FootGolf race has become.