What Happened to Miura? The Masters Irons a Japanese Forger Made for Another Brand

On a Monday in June of 2001, Retief Goosen walked onto the last green at Southern Hills, in Tulsa. He should not have been there at all. The afternoon before, he had stood over a putt of about twelve feet to win the U.S. Open. He needed two. He took three. The second one, from about two feet, slid past the hole. So the championship went to an eighteen-hole playoff against Mark Brooks. This time Goosen did not flinch. He shot 70, Brooks shot 72, and the trophy that had slipped through his fingers on Sunday was finally his. Six years later, Goosen was asked about the man who forged his irons. He said he had never met him. He hadn't even known that man made his clubs. This is the story of Katsuhiro Miura, the craftsman near Himeji whose small shop forged irons for some of the biggest names in golf while his own name stayed off the back. Along the way: the truth behind the "Miura made Tiger's irons" story, the TaylorMade deal that ended in 2004, the fitter in Dallas who put Miura in K.J. Choi's bag at the Players, what happened to the company after Mr. Miura died in 2025 — and the name that was really on the irons that won two Masters. Did you ever own a set of Miuras, or forged irons from Maruman, TaylorMade or Titleist? Tell me in the comments which set and what year — and whether it's still in the bag or in the garage. Subscribe for the stories behind the names in your golf bag:    / @persimmonarchive   Miura golf, Miura Giken, what happened to Miura, Katsuhiro Miura, Miura irons, Miura CB-501, Miura KM-700, Miura forged irons history, Japanese forged irons, hands of God golf, Maruman golf, Maruman Conductor, Ian Woosnam 1991 Masters irons, Olazabal 1994 Masters irons, Retief Goosen 2001 US Open irons, Retief Goosen TaylorMade RAC 2004, TaylorMade Tour Preferred forged, Tiger Woods Titleist Japan Miura irons, K.J. Choi Players Championship Miura, Justin Rose Miura irons, Miura Stephen Curry irons, Himeji golf, golf club history, golf brand documentary . Sources (attach links before posting) Bloomberg, Michael Buteau — "Golf's secret weapon hand-forged in Japan" (17 Jun 2007), Honolulu Advertiser syndication; full NYT-syndicated text ("A Japanese Club Maker Forges a Reputation for Craftsmanship") as reprinted on The Sand Trap forum GolfMagic, Bob Warters — "Miura: master club-maker" (26 Jun 2007) GolfWRX — interview with Bill Holowaty (c. 2007); "Equipment changes come full circle for Choi" (2012); Larry Bobka on Tiger's 681T irons (c. 2020); Ancer named Miura's first PGA Tour ambassador (2019); TC-202 launch (2025); KM Baby Blade (2025) GOLF.com — Shinei Miura on the Fully Equipped podcast (Jonathan Wall, 1 May 2020); obituary of Katsuhiro Miura (May 2025); billionaire investor acquires Miura's distribution rights (2017); KM-700 irons (2022); Justin Rose's FedEx St. Jude WITB (Aug 2025); Justin Rose's Farmers Insurance Open WITB (2026); Miura x Stephen Curry irons (Oct 2026) Miura Golf — "Who is Katsuhiro Miura" (2019); "How old is Miura Golf" (2020); "Why is Himeji Miura's home base" (2020); Shinei and Yoshitaka profile pages; sword-making blog (2023); Year in Review 2025 Miura Golf statement on the passing of Katsuhiro Miura, via FirstCallGolf (15 May 2025); Anthony Newville appointment (28 Aug 2025); Miura x Curry release (13 Oct 2026) GEW (Japan) — obituary and funeral report (May 2025) MyGolfSpy — "Know Your Japanese Brands: Miura" (Tony Covey, 2017); CB-501 review; Miura x Curry Golf Digest — John Strege on the K.J. Choi limited edition (17 Jul 2012); Mike Stachura on Bill Choung and Choi's irons (2011); Golf Digest/Australian Golf Digest obituary (May 2025) Golf Channel — "Equipment insider: Choi big-time for small company" (2011, Adam Barr quote) Today's Golfer — Miura K.J. Choi limited edition (Jul 2012); Adam Scott tribute (May 2025); Baby Blade, first release since his death (2025) LINKS magazine — Miura Golf "rapidly evolving while maintaining its roots" (c. 2018, Hoyt McGarity) SI Vault — "Back from the dead" (Goosen, 25 Jun 2001); "Fight to the finish" (Woosnam, 22 Apr 1991) UPI — Goosen wins U.S. Open playoff (18 Jun 2001) HK Golfer (Lewine Mair) — Woosnam's move to Maruman (1989) Golf Digest Minna (3 Oct 2016) and Mynavi (11 Apr 2013) — Maruman, the Conductor irons, Woosnam and Olazábal