Kota Kaneko won the 2026 Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol. He defeated Davis Bryant and Ricardo Gouveia by two strokes to earn his first win on the DP World Tour after finishing T2 at last week’s 2026 Soudal Open.
Kaneko’s final round of 67 (-3) secured his win in just his 12th career DP World Tour start. He earned his way onto the DP World Tour by finishing atop the Japan Golf Tour Order of Merit last season. He is the ninth player from Japan to win an event on the DP World Tour.
Kaneko lost his lead early in the round after dropping a shot on the third hole. His birdie on the fifth hole brought him into a three-way tie with Gouveia and Max Steinlechner.
Kaneko took control of the tournament once he made the turn. He made birdie on three of the first four holes to reach 18-under.
After a long weather delay, Kaneko bogeyed the 15th to find himself tied atop the leaderboard again but this time with Bryant. Kaneko’s chip-in birdie on the 16th and Bryant’s bogey on the 18th left Kaneko with a two-shot lead with two holes to play.
The win did not come without some nervous times. His tee shot on the last hit the grandstands and stopped in thick rough before the water hazard. He needed a par to seal his maiden DP World Tour win.
Kaneko had this to say about the fans in his post round press conference:
“I’d like to thank all the fans this week; they’ve been a big support to help me win this tournament. I want to push on now and get a second win this season. I hope I can continue to play well.”
Next week on the DP World Tour is the KLM Open in Amsterdam. Connor Syme won the 2025 KLM Open by defeating Joakim Lagergren by two strokes. Syme will look to defend his title against a field that includes Casey Jarvis, Dan Bradbury and 2025 U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell.
