Kota Kaneko has been named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year for 2026, becoming the second Japanese player to win the DP World Tour’s prestigious award.
Kaneko lit up his debut season with a two-week stretch in May as he finished runner-up at the Soudal Open and won the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol seven days later.
He recorded a further four top 20 finishes to qualify as one of the leading 50 available players in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World competing in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The 24-year-old continues the success of Japanese players on the DP World Tour in recent years, with Ryo Hisatsune becoming the first player from Japan to win the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award in 2023. With his victory this season, Kaneko became one of five Japanese players who have claimed six titles since 2023.
“First of all, I'm very honoured to receive the award,” said Kaneko. “The first person was Ryo Hisatsune, which is a good friend of mine, he’s the same age, and I know him really well. So, I'm really happy to be in the same category with him.
“I think the level of play in Japan has gotten better, and a lot of the players want to go overseas to play. I think that helps a lot of players coming out here and playing really well.
“I was really happy winning in Austria, and that gave me big confidence that I knew I could play out here. And from here on, just coming out at the end of the season, playing the two DP World Tour tournaments was kind of one of the goals. So I'm happy to be here.
“I work really hard by taking every tournament step by step in every shot. And worked really hard, and I think this got me to where I am right now.”
Kaneko won twice on the Japan Golf Tour in 2025 to top the Order of Merit and earn an exemption on the DP World Tour for the 2026 season.
He recorded a T15 finish in the second event of his DP World Tour career at the Qatar Masters in February. He enjoyed a further top 20 followed by his first top ten of the season in back-to-back appearances at the Volvo China Open and Turkish Airlines Open, before his successful two-week run in Belgium and Austria yielded his maiden victory.
Kaneko earned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award by finishing as the leading eligible player on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World. He entered the DP World Tour Championship in 49th position, and as the only contender for the award competing in the season-ending event in Dubai.
Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive Officer of the DP World Tour, said: “On behalf of everyone at the DP World Tour, I’m delighted to congratulate Kota on becoming the 2026 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.
“With his victory in Austria, and some impressive performances throughout the year, Kota certainly made an impression in his rookie campaign, putting together a string of results that took him all the way to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
“His win in May was the first of two for Japanese players on the 2026 Race to Dubai and continued a truly impressive run of success for Japan on the DP World Tour in recent years – perfectly demonstrating the benefits of the partnerships and pathways we have built with Tours around the world.
“We all wish Kota well for the future and look forward to seeing him build on this successful first season.”
