Justin De Los Santos would love nothing more than to become the next golfer from the Philippines to win on JGTO – and has vowed to earn his breakthrough this season.

The 26-year-old is eager to emulate the recent success of compatriots Angelo Que and Juvic Pagunsan, who won their first titles in 2018 and last year respectively, to reaffirm Philippines’ presence on JGTO.

Que was crowned the winner of Top Cup Tokai Classic while Pagunsan had won the Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open.

The most successful Filipino ever graced the JGTO was the legendary Frankie Minoza.

He boasts seven Tour titles under his belt in between 1990 and 2007, with the Mynavi ABC Championships being the last title he captured when he was 48.

De Los Santos, now into his second full season, revealed that he already had the ambition to play on JGTO ever since he was an amateur.

“I’ve always liked the Japanese culture to be honest,” said De Los Santos, who impressed with a tied-14^th finish at the SMBC Singapore Open last month.

“Even before I turned pro and when I was coming up to college, I was contemplating my options and Japan was pretty high up there in my list.

“I always wanted to play there and I’m happy that now I’m able to. I look forward to continue playing there for years to come” he added.

De Los Santos will aim to get off to a good start at the Token Homemate Cup in Mie from March 31-April 3 as he bids to improve on his eligibility on Tour.

“As I’m currently holding a QT status, I’d like to try to improve on the status through a reshuffle so that I get to become a seeded player.

“My ultimate goal is to make it to the PGA Tour and I believe JGTO can be my stepping stone. This is a good Tour that rewards you handsomely on the world ranking if you perform very well.

“So, I would really like to try to get a win.”

De Los Santos is looking to draw inspiration from his senior compatriots Que and Pagunsan, who he forged close friendship with, in making it big on JGTO.

“I’m closed to Juvic and Angelo since I have travelled with them a little bit,” he said.

“They have proven themselves in Japan, so I can certainly learn a thing or two from them.”