Article

JGTO Abroad: Reigning Money King Nakajima gets season underway in UAE

JGTO Abroad: Reigning Money King Nakajima gets season underway in UAE


Reigning JGTO Prize Money King Keita Nakajima is set to make his first appearance of the year when he competes in the DP World Tour's Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the United Arab Emirates this week.

The 23-year-old is so determined to perform well that he arrived on Monday to undergo comprehensive preparations ahead of the tournament tee-off at the Al Hamra Golf Club on Thursday.

Nakajima will aim to set a positive tone as he has also signed up for the Bahrain Championship the following week (Feb 1-4).

Despite holding a Category 17 membership on the DP World Tour, Nakajima found playing opportunities hard to come by.

The conditional status was not high enough for him to make the cut for the previous week's Dubai Invitational and Dubai Desert Classic, 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 2023-2024 season.

"I'm starting from behind and just stepping onto the starting line," Nakajima acknowledged.

"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."

Nakajima will be bidding to replicate his fine run of form in 2023, which saw him top the JGTO Money Rankings in his first full season as a professional.

On top of the three titles he won, Nakajima further complemented it with 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 flagship 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," vowed Nakajima.

Joining Nakajima in the UAE this week are fellow Japanese players Rikuya Hoshino, a two-time runner-up this season, and Masahiro Kawamura, buoyed by a respectable 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.