Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates: Reigning Japan Golf Tour (JGTO) Prize Money King Keita Nakajima will make his first appearance of the year at this week’s Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
So determined is the 23-year-old to perform well that he arrived on Monday to undergo comprehensive preparations ahead of the DP World Tour event’s tee-off at the Al Hamra Golf Club tomorrow.
Nakajima has also signed up for the Bahrain Championship, to take place from February 1-4.
Despite holding a Category 17 membership on the DP World Tour, Nakajima is finding that playing opportunities are hard to come by. The conditional status was not high enough for him to make the cut for the Dubai Invitational and Dubai Desert Classic over the past fortnight, even with the latter being a full-field event.
The Ras Al Khaimah Championship marks the third event in the current year and the seventh overall in the DP World Tour's 2023-2024 season.
“I’m starting from behind and just stepping onto the starting line,” said Nakajima, former number one in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Dubai in 2021.
“But I have nothing to lose. I want to embrace every challenge. Although I anticipate numerous difficulties, I aspire to give my all throughout the year,” added Nakajima, who is bidding to replicate his fine form from 2023 when he topped the JGTO Money Ranking in his first full season as a professional.
In addition to posting three victories, Nakajima had no fewer than 10 other top-five finishes, five of which were runner-ups, including the season-ending Golf Nippon Series JT Cup. In total, he missed only one cut in 23 starts.
Nakajima has set his sights on following in the footsteps of Ryo Hisatsune, who made it to the PGA Tour by excelling on the DP World Tour.
The European circuit rewards its top 10 performers of the season, not already exempt, with playing rights on the PGA Tour.
“Hisatsune’s outstanding performance has been an inspiration. I want to approach this year with the goal of reaching America in 2025,” said Nakajima.
Joining Nakajima in the UAE this week are fellow Japanese players Rikuya Hoshino, a two-time runner-up last season, and Masahiro Kawamura, buoyed by a tied-seventh placing at last week’s Dubai Desert Classic.
In the United States, Hisatsune and Taiga Semikawa will tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open, hosted at Torrey Pines Golf Course in California.
