Kanaya Keen to Repeat Al Mouj Golf Success

Muscat, Oman: Takumi Kanaya begins the defence of his International Series Oman title tomorrow at Al Mouj Golf – aiming to do ‘exactly the same’ as he did en route to his breakthrough victory 12 months ago.

In what was a week of many firsts at the inaugural International Series Oman for the Japanese star, he recorded a four-shot win to claim his maiden professional victory overseas.

It also marked the first time that an International Series event had been won by a player from Japan. Surprisingly, Kanaya also became the first golfer from his country to win an Asian Tour event outside of Japan since Tetsuji Hiratsuka claimed the Black Mountain Masters in 2010.

The 25-year-old from Hiroshima, said: “In 2023, I lined up against some of the best players in the world and proved that I could win. This year I want to do exactly the same. Defending my title will not be easy against this strong field, but I know I have what it takes on a truly challenging course.”

A star-studded line-up is competing in what is the first of 10 International Series events this season, at what is the second stop of the year on the Asian Tour, following last week’s IRS Prima Malaysian Open.

Last week’s champion David Puig from Spain, and his compatriot Eugenio Chacarra, South African Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Chileans Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira and Indian Anirban Lahiri are just a few of the glittering names from the LIV Golf League playing.

Joining them are a plethora of Asian Tour stars including Filipino Miguel Tabuena, Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho and Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand.

Kanaya, world ranked 129, has been paired in one of the marquee groups along with two other standouts – Denwit Boriboonsub from Thailand and Australian Lucas Herbert, who is making his debut on The International Series.

The stunning scenic coastline of Al Mouj Golf provided the perfect background for some brilliant front-running golf by Kanaya last season. “It is an honour to win the event, an International Series tournament,” said Kanaya at the time, after what was his first success since April 2021 when he won the Token Homemate Cup, on the Japan Tour.

Kanaya turned professional in 2020 after a glittering amateur career that saw him win the 2015 Japan Amateur, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2018, and the team gold medal at the Asian Games that year. He also won the Mitsui Sumitomo Visa Taiheiyo Masters in 2019 as an amateur and was ranked the world’s number one amateur for 55 weeks. In 2020 he was victorious in the Dunlop Phoenix tournament.

Last year was only his third start as a professional in an Asian Tour event, and it was his maiden appearance in an International Series tournament. And it proved to be the catalyst for more silverware, as later in the year he triumphed twice in Japan, at the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup and the Fujisankei Classic. He finished the season third on the Japan rankings.