JGTO Abroad: Nakajima on course for a good finish in UAE

Keita Nakajima positions himself in the running for a maiden top-10 finish on the DP World Tour after carding a successive six-under-par 66 on Saturday to head into the finale of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

The reigning JGTO prize money king got off to a glorious start when he made a chip-in eagle on the third hole with his third shot from 25 yards at Al Hamra Golf Club.

Nakajima then continued his fine momentum by picking up four straight shots from hole numbers seven to 11 before dropping his first bogey on 12 - his third in as many days.

He mixed two more birdies with a bogey over the last five holes to reach the penultimate stage on 12-under 204, 10 shots adrift of runaway leader Thorbjorn Olesen in a share of 15^th place.

Denmark's Olesen put himself on the brink of victory when he fired a 63 to pull four shots clear of compatriot Rasmus Hojgaard.

Another Japanese representative, Masahiro Kawamura, who finished tied-seventh at last week's Dubai Desert Classic, endured a frustrating day as he struggled to a 74, slipping to tied-66th on four-under.

At the Farmers Insurance Open in California, United States, Hideki Matsuyama closed with a solid five-under-par 67 to finish his campaign in a tie for 13th, propelling 34 rungs from his initial position.

Ryo Hisatsune also finished in the upper quarter of the leaderboard, signing for a 70 at the demanding Torrey Pines South Course to move up to tied 33rd on 283 after starting the day joint-47th.

Taiga Semikawa, who carded a poor 79 in the third round, salvaged some pride with a 71 to settle for tied-64th.

The tournament, which was the fourth stop of the 2024 PGA Tour season, was won by Matthieu Pavon of France after posting a 69 to finish on 13-under 275.

He edged out second-placed Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark for the title by a single shot.