Kota Kaneko (JPN) wins Maiden DP World Tour Title – Bernd Wiesberger Finishes Fourth at Golf Spectacle in Kitzbühel

Kota Kaneko - Winner of the Austrian Alpine Open 2026 (Foto: GEPA Pictures)

Kitzbühel, May 31, 2026. – The inaugural Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel – Tirol produced a first-time winner on the DP World Tour in Kota Kaneko! The Japanese player won the $2.75 million tournament at the Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith Golf Course with a final round of 67 (-3) and a total score of 262 strokes (-18). For the biggest success of his career to date, Kaneko was rewarded with a winner’s check for $467,500. Austrians Bernd Wiesberger and Maximilian Steinlechner briefly led the leaderboard during the final round; in the end, Wiesberger finished as the top Austrian in a tie for fourth place.

Bernd Wiesberger was right in the thick of the title race at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel – Tirol when the tournament had to be suspended due to an approaching thunderstorm just before his second shot on the 17th hole. When the final round resumed a little over an hour later, Wiesberger’s approach shot fell short—a shot from the tall grass and two putts resulted in a bogey, effectively ending the Burgenland native’s chances of victory. With a 66 (-4) and a total of 265 (-15), Wiesberger finished in fourth place.

“When you’re still just barely in contention for the lead on the 15th and 16th holes, this wasn’t the finish you’d hoped for. Even though it wasn’t quite enough, it was a great week and a great tournament—not just for me, but for golf in Austria in general. Max (Steinlechner, ed.) and Sepp (Straka, ed.) also put in strong performances. I think we can be very proud of these days here in Kitzbühel as a golfing nation,” said Wiesberger, who moved up five spots to twelfth place in the “Race to Dubai.”

Maximilian Steinlechner, who played the final round in a flight with Sepp Straka, carded a deep-red 65 (-5) to close out his home tournament and finished in a tie for seventh place with a total of 266 strokes (-14). With this result, the Tyrolean moved up 31 spots in the “Race” and is now 102nd. With six birdies on the first eleven holes, Steinlechner got off to a strong start and even briefly led the leaderboard. He couldn’t manage another birdie down the stretch, however, and finished the final day with a bogey on the closing hole.

“Of course, you’d love to have a great round on Sunday. I was really close, but that bogey on the last hole just isn’t fun. But overall, I’m very satisfied. The result definitely moves me up a bit in the ‘Race.’ I’m still toward the back of the pack, but the season is still long. Now I’ve found a bit of momentum. Things are definitely heading in the right direction. And in terms of my game, everything is basically there,” said a satisfied Steinlechner.

Sepp Straka carded five birdies and two bogeys on Sunday; the resulting 67 (-3) put him at 12 under par overall and in twelfth place. “I played pretty well. The greens were a bit inconsistent, but other than that, it was actually a pretty good tournament,” said Straka.

Straka proved to be a huge crowd-puller this week at the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel – Tirol. Over the four days of the tournament, crowds flocked to watch the two-time Ryder Cup champion play.

“The most positive thing overall was the atmosphere. It was amazing to play in front of these fans. More people came out to support me here than at a major tournament. The support was one-of-a-kind,” Straka said as he headed back to the US PGA Tour.

Organizer Edwin Weindorfer was also delighted by the fan turnout in Kitzbühel. With 10,200 spectators on Sunday, the total attendance soared to just under 32,000. In addition, players and officials from the DP World Tour had high praise for this year’s Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel – Tirol.