De Los Santos aims for success at Japan Players Championship by Sato Shokuhin

Justin De Los Santos of the Philippines will be aiming to cap an encouraging first-half JGTO campaign with another commendable outing at the Japan Players Championship by Sato Shokuhin this week.

The 26-year-old Justin, competing with a limited status from last year’s QT, has made the most of the six invaluable starts secured thus far by impressing with two top-10 finishes.

He finished tied sixth at the ISPS Handa Championship in April and solo fourth at the Mizuno Open last month, earning him a dream Major debut at the 150th The Open at St. Andrews in July.

De Los Santos also came in a commendable tied 22nd at the Golf Partner Pro-Am Tournament last month for him to sit 29th in the current season Money Rankings. 

A top-65 finish at the end of the season will gain him a full Tour card for next season.

“It has been a memorable season in Japan so far. I had limited starts at the start of the season, and I’m trying to play my best golf each week so that I can compete regularly here. The results have been mixed so far. I feel I can always do better and will continue to put in the hard work to achieve that,” said De Los Santos. 

Apart from the local field, De Los Santos is also part of a strong international line-up of players looking to fight for glory just before the JGTO season heads into a five-week summer break.

Among them are American Han Lee, Australian quartet Andrew Evans, Adam Bland, David Brandson and Dylan Perry, and New Zealander Michael Hendry.

The Japan Players Championship by Sato Shokuhin, inaugurated last year, is one unique event hosted and run wholly by the Japan Golf Tours Players Club. It returns for its second year at the Nishi Nasuno Country Club in Tochigi Prefecture.

The event was initially slated for 2020 to create a playing opportunity for the Players Club’s members amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but it could only be realised a year later.

Naoyuki Kataoka took the honour of becoming the first champion of the tournament. In an intense battle, Kataoka carded a 15-under total to beat a group of five players to the title by one stroke.