JGTO Abroad: Semikawa aims to fast track career with American Express, Hoshino eyes hot desert start 

Taiga Semikawa will aim to put on an improved performance in his second consecutive PGA Tour appearance at The American Express, starting Thursday at PGA WEST in La Quinta, California.

Last week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, the 23-year-old Semikawa found himself in contention, reaching the 54-hole mark in joint fourth place and just three shots off the lead. However, he failed to mount a strong challenge on the final day and settled for a nevertheless best-ever tied 30th position.

With another two starts secured, including next week's Farmers Insurance Open through sponsors' invite, Semikawa knows he has to make his chances count.

Semikawa also played in The American Express and Farmers Insurance Open last year, but he missed the cut on both occasions.

Semikawa considers himself a much more accomplished golfer than he was 12 months ago, attributing his improvement over the past year to the intense rivalry with Keita Nakajima and Takumi Kanaya during last season's JGTO.

He ultimately secured the second spot on the Money Rankings, with Nakajima leading the pack.

"Compared to last year, I really feel that my game has improved quite a lot to be able to play this well," said Semikawa.

"I still have work to do to get to Takumi and Keita’s level, but having many close battles against them over the course of last season really pushed me to improve my own game."

Ryo Hisatsune will be another JGTO competitor in action at PGA WEST, aiming to improve on his tied-30th finish from last week in his debut as a PGA Tour member.

Hisatsune earned his PGA Tour card through an impressive season on the DP World Tour.

In a notable change last season, the European circuit granted playing privileges on the PGA Tour to the top 10 finishers in its Race to Dubai standings who were not otherwise exempt.

This marked the first time such an opportunity was offered to players from the European circuit.

Rikuya Hoshino is eager to capitalise on a similar opportunity as he makes his return to the DP World Tour, commencing his season at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Hoshino aims to continue the momentum from the latter part of the previous year, during which he secured two consecutive runner-up finishes at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship and ISPS Handa Australian Open – the initial events of the DP World Tour's 2023-2024 season.

Reflecting on his aspirations, Hoshino expressed his admiration for Hisatsune's achievements while acknowledging the need to set higher standards in the fiercely competitive circuit.

"Hisatsune had an impressive year with a victory, but even then, he barely secured a spot in the top 10 (ranked 17th in the points standings). Therefore, I believe I'll need to secure at least two wins to achieve that!" Hoshino remarked.

"I'll do my utmost to reach the PGA Tour as well."

Hoshino made his full DP World Tour debut by finishing as one of the leading three players on the 2022 JGTO Money Rankings.

His consistent performance throughout the season allowed him to upgrade his status to a full card by finishing 81st on the Race to Dubai, comfortably meeting the top 115 requirements.

Hoshino will be joined in UAE this week by DP World Tour regular Masahiro Kawamura.