Nakajima Leads Japan’s Asiad Ambitions

Tokyo, Japan: Former Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC) winner Keita Nakajima will spearhead the host nation’s bid for golfing glory at the 20th Asian Games. 

To be staged at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course in Aichi Prefecture, the golfing element of the quadrennial Asiad will take place from September 30 to October 3.

Medals will be on offer in team and individual competition for both men and women with the field comprising a mixture of professional and amateur players.

Nakajima, triumphant at the 2021 AAC in Dubai where he defeated Hong Kong, China’s Taichi Kho in a sudden-death play-off, will be joined in Japan’s men’s team by fellow-professional Kazuki Higa, and Taishi Moto, the top-rated Japanese in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) at 47th.

In his second year at the University of Arizona, Moto qualified for the match play phase at last month’s US Amateur Championship and played an important role in the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) victory against Europe in last year’s Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy.

The Japan women’s line-up is made up of three amateurs – Aira Nagasawa (12th in the WAGR), Ai Goto (46th) and Mamika Shinchi (191st).

Nagasawa has enjoyed a breakout year, winning the Japan Women’s Amateur Championship and placing second against the professionals at the Japan LPGA Tour’s Shiseido JAL Ladies Open last month.

The highlight of Goto’s year to-date came in Indonesia in April when she played a starring role in Japan’s Queen Sirikit Cup triumph, placing second in the individual standings.

For her part, Shinchi was a member of the APGC team that defeated Europe in the Solheim Cup-style Patsy Hankins Trophy in the United Arab Emirates in 2025 and the Japan team at the World Amateur Team Championships for the Espirito Santo Trophy in Singapore. Last year she reached a high of 30th in the WAGR.

Individual and team competitions will be held over 18 holes per day, with a total of 72 holes over four days. In the team competition, the team score for each day will be the sum of the best scores of two out of three players for both men and women. The winner will be determined by the total score over the four days.