Underrated Kozuma on the rise for Iron Heads

SAN ROQUE, Spain – Jinichiro Kozuma may not be a household name, but the Iron Heads GC standout is quietly making a strong case as one of the world’s most underrated golfers.

Kozuma missed the first five events of the LIV Golf season with a back injury but has been outstanding since his return. Even though he’s missed more than half of the season, he still ranks 29th in the season-long individual standings. Kozuma has earned an average of 9.03 points per tournament, putting him on a trajectory that should lock up a spot on LIV Golf for the 2026 season.

Given the time he’s missed, that would be quite an achievement.

“I’m probably playing the best golf of my life,” he said prior to this week’s LIV Golf Andalucía at the iconic Real Club Valderrama.

Kozuma has registered points for the Iron Heads in all four starts since returning from injury, posting finishes of 21st (Mexico City), T7 (Korea), T23 (Virginia) and T2 (Dallas). At Maridoe, Kozuma stormed the leaderboard to get into a four-man playoff before coming up just short of his first LIV Golf victory.

It’s the second-best result in team history, exceeded only by Danny Lee’s playoff win in 2023 at LIV Golf Tucson.

After this week’s event at Valderrama, Kozuma will be eligible to be ranked in LIV Golf’s strokes gained categories, having played in at least 50% of the rounds. If he were eligible now, the 31-year-old would rank 1st in strokes gained approach and 5th in strokes gained total. Kozuma is thriving specifically on medium and long approach shots, where he is gaining 0.43 (2nd) and 0.49 (1st) strokes on the field per round.

He also ranks 1st in the league in strokes gained around the green and 2nd in scrambling. Kozuma’s ability to get up-and-down from tricky lies has been a crucial aspect of his success this season.

Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, Kozuma may be a new name to most American golf fans, but he is well known in his home country. On the Japan Golf Tour, Kozuma has claimed three titles – the 2021 Kyusyu Open, the 2022 Token Homemate Cup and the 2024 KBC Augusta.

His success on the JGT propelled him to a career-high 94th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) before joining LIV Golf after finishing on the podium in the LIV Golf Promotional event in 2024.

Iron Heads GC Captain Kevin Na praised Kozuma’s critical contributions to the team this season, highlighting his improvement from last season.

“He’s growing into a really good player. He’s getting comfortable out here against one of the best [leagues] in the world,” Na said, adding that Kozuma’s lack of recognition makes him underrated.

Reflecting on Kozuma’s near-miss at Maridoe, Na added, “You just saw last time [at LIV Golf Dallas] that he should have won.” Na values Kozuma’s role on the team, noting, “We love him. That’s why we kept him [after finishing 45th in the standings in 2024].”

Na credits Kozuma’s growth to newfound confidence, particularly after strong performances at last year’s Team Championship at Maridoe, where the Iron Heads made a Cinderella run.

“I think he started to feel like, ‘Ooh, I can do it out here.’ I think that’s the big difference,” Na said.

With momentum building and a supportive team around him, Na believes the Iron Heads have played a key role in helping develop Kozuma.

Kozuma recognizes that he faces a formidable challenge to secure his first victory on LIV Golf.

“When talking about my first win [on LIV Golf], it’s not going to be easy,” he admitted. Yet, as one of the league’s sharpest iron players with newfound confidence, it would be foolish to underestimate him.