From L-R – Veer Ahlawat, the best Indian finisher, Dr. Pawan Munjal (Executive Chairman, Hero MotoCorp) & Keita Nakajima, the Hero Indian Open 2024 winner
23-year-old Keita Nakajima, No.1 on the Japan PGA Tour 2023 rankings, who earlier held the World No.1 amateur ranking for 87 weeks, carded rounds of 65-65-68-73 to register a four-shot win and his first DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour) title at the US$2.25 Million Hero Indian Open, at DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon.
Such was Nakajima’s dominance that he stretched to an 8 stroke lead early on the final day after starting at 18 under after 54 holes and a four-shot lead heading into the final round.
So despite a double bogey on the tough par four 14th, a hole he had bogeyed in the preceding three days and bogeys on the three closing holes, he still recorded the lowest 72 hole total at the tournament on 17 under par.
This win marks Nakajima’s fifth title, after four on the Japanese Tour, which includes one as an amateur, where he topped the 2023 Order of Merit to earn his DP World Tour card.
Nakajima and other top golfers are aspiring to finish in the top 10 on the DP World Tour since the top 10 at the end of the year earn automatic qualification for playing rights on the much more lucrative PGA Tour. Following his victory, Nakajima ascended to a career-high 78th position on the Official World Golf Ranking, up from 111th place.
We are likely to see a lot more of Nakajima in the future as he seems poised for stardom in the footsteps of Hideki Matsuyama, the 2022 Masters Champion.
Photo – Hero Indian Open