1921 (Taisho 10) Sunday, April 24: The birth of the professional golfer Kobari Haruyoshi. Throughout his life he lived in his hometown and was called “The God of Nasu”. After graduating from elementary school, he took an exam for the Japanese National Railways, but failed due to color blindness. 1936 (Showa 11) I applied for a caddie position at the Nasu Golf Club and became a caddie and trainee. 1940 (Showa 15) Although he was the first professional player in Tochigi Prefecture, he was drafted into the army after only 2 matches. Since he could not distinguish the colors, he became a radio operator without a battalion. He went to the front lines in Shandong Province, China, and then to the front lines in New Guinea, where he was allowed to demobilize due to malaria. Of New Guinea’s 400 men, only 13 survived, including Kobari.
After the war, he worked in agriculture for a while and did not play golf, but 10 years later, he made a comeback by winning his first title at Kanto Pro in 1955 (Showa 30). In addition, he won the 1957 (Showa 32) Japan Open. It also expanded overseas, finishing second in the 1962 (Showa 37) Singapore Open.
In the manga series “the land of the wind” serialized in Big Comics, he was depicted as a teacher of the main character, Keisuke OKITA, who aspired to become a professional golfer at the young age of 24. In March 2012, he was selected for the 1st Japan Professional Golf Association Hall of Fame. 2019 (Heisei 31) On April 19, he died of old age at the age of 97, 11 days before the end of the Heisei period.
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