Whether it’s fashion, cars or electronics, Japan has always had a knack for trend-spotting. The latest trend comes to us from the world of amateur golf, where over the past two years the world’s top amateur and McCormack medal recipient has been a product of the land of the rising sun: Keita Nakajima. Following in the footsteps of former No. 1 and fellow Japan National team star Takumi Kanaya, Nakajima sits atop the world amateur rankings., Nakajima has already shone while playing amongst the top professionals on the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO), including his first professional win (as an amateur) earlier this fall at the Panasonic Open. The Japan Sports Science University junior also has a runner-up finish at the 2020 Token Homemate Cup and top-20 finishes at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup, 2020 Japan Open Championship and 2019 Mitsui Sumitomo VISA Taiheiyo Masters, where Kanaya captured his first professional win, as an amateur. Perhaps Nakajima can one-up his “Senpai” Kanaya and get his first win on the PGA TOUR as he tees it up this week in his first PGA TOUR event as a professional at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, played at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. The ZOZO will make a long-awaited return to Japan and will be the TOUR’s only Asia swing event played in Asia over the past two seasons due to the COVID pandemic. (The 2020 ZOZO, won by Patrick Cantlay, was held at Sherwood Country Club outside Los Angeles.) Here, PGATOUR.com sits down with Nakajima to learn about Japan’s next superstar. PGATOUR.com: Why did you start playing golf? KN: My family all play golf and I started playing when I was around 6 years old. Was golf always your thing, or did you try out different sports and eventually land on golf? Whenever I would watch the PGA TOUR on TV, I’d always see Tiger Woods playing and since then, probably around the time I was in junior high school, I have always wanted to become a professional golfer. Do you have a favorite golfer? The first player I ever remember seeing on TV was Tiger Woods. I don’t really remember any particular shots, I just remember his huge fist pumps every time he wins, which I always thought was really cool. Is there a particular player or something that a player does that you try and pattern your game after? Tiger is definitely a clutch player so I would like to become more like him. I was also very impressed by Collin Morikawa’s winner’s speech at The Open this year. I hope to one day become a player that can deliver a speech like that. You are currently the top-ranked amateur and also recently won your first professional event. Is there anything in your career thus far that you are particularly proud of? Being a part of the (Japan) national team and playing with all the great players on that team has been a tremendous honor for me. Playing with those guys has really taught me a lot and inspired me to reach my goals. But I’m very proud of all my achievements: reaching world No. 1 as an amateur, receiving the McCormack Medal and winning on the Japan Golf Tour. Do you have any other hobbies or interests apart from golf? I like watching and playing other sports, and I especially like playing baseball and volleyball, but never really played any team sports growing up. What obstacles, if any, have you faced in getting to where you are today? I think the golf swing adds a lot of undue strain on your body and sometimes I don’t have enough time to properly care for myself after I work out, and every year I seem to have some kind of injury. There’s actually been a few times I’ve had to withdraw because of my back, most recently just a couple weeks ago. I’ve also had a finger injury that has kept me out of a few events as well. It’s been very frustrating. So I guess I am kind of failing in terms of conditioning my body appropriately. Is there anyone in particular that you pattern your swing after? I have never really seen someone swing like me and I haven’t tried to make my swing like somebody else’s, but in a recent Golf Digest (Japan) article, they compared my impact position to being very similar to Dustin Johnson. I definitely don’t hit it as far as Dustin, but I am working on hitting it farther. ZOZO will be your first start on the PGA TOUR. How are you feeling? I am very excited, especially because I will be competing as an amateur ranked No. 1 in the world. I just hope I can play well, play my golf, and play with confidence. I’ve played and won on the JGTO so hopefully I can take that experience and trust what I have been able to do in the past and put four good rounds together. But my goal for the week is keep myself in contention every day and with their being fans onsite this week, I really hope they will be there to support me. What are your plans for your golf career? I haven’t decided yet on when I will turn pro, maybe next fall, but my main goal is to successfully play on the PGA TOUR. For the rest of my amateur career, I hope to use that time to continue to improve my game and get it to a level to where I can compete on the PGA TOUR. I’ll keep competing in as many JGTO events as I can, but if a chance to go to the U.S. and play should come up, whether that’s on the PGA TOUR or Korn Ferry Tour, I definitely would love to go over there and start my career. Have you received any advice from anyone on how to continue to improve your game and your career? Takumi Kanaya has become a good friend and mentor to me, and we played on the National team together for some time. He once told me to “Confront yourself and keep challenging.” I really like that and will try and follow his advice. What is your biggest goal? I honestly haven’t set any concrete long-term goals for myself at this point, but wherever I go in the world, as long as I can play golf and play in front of my fans that support me, I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.
Q&A: Keita Nakajima
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Volvo China Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Sebastian Soderberg | +350 |
Haotong Li | +550 |
Romain Langasque | +700 |
Guido Migliozzi | +1800 |
Zander Lombard | +1800 |
Julien Guerrier | +2000 |
Yannik Paul | +2500 |
Paul Waring | +3000 |
Joel Girrbach | +3500 |
Marcus Armitage | +3500 |
Click here for more… | |
Maekyung Open | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Sanghyun Park | +700 |
Junghwan Lee | +1200 |
Yubin Jang | +1200 |
Kyungnam Kang | +1400 |
Richard T Lee | +1600 |
Kristoffer Broberg | +1800 |
Hanmil Jung | +2800 |
Jeongwoo Ham | +2800 |
Taehoon Ok | +2800 |
Hongtaek Kim | +3000 |
Click here for more… | |
Singapore | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | +600 |
Joaquin Niemann | +800 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +1000 |
Cameron Smith | +1400 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +1400 |
Brooks Koepka | +1600 |
Talor Gooch | +1600 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +1800 |
Dean Burmester | +2000 |
Abraham Ancer | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Tournament Match-Up – S. Garcia vs L. Herbert | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Sergio Garcia | -135 |
Lucas Herbert | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Gooch vs A. Ancer | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Talor Gooch | -135 |
Abraham Ancer | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – D. Johnson vs P. Reed | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Dustin Johnson | -115 |
Patrick Reed | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – B. Koepka vs D. Burmester | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Dean Burmester | -130 |
Brooks Koepka | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – M. Leishman vs P. Casey | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Marc Leishman | -115 |
Paul Casey | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – L. Oosthuizen vs B. DeChambeau | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Bryson DeChambeau | -130 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Ortiz vs C. Howell III | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Carlos Ortiz | -150 |
Charles Howell III | +115 |
Tournament Match-Up – M. Pereira vs R. Bland | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Mito Pereira | -135 |
Richard Bland | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Rahm vs J. Niemann | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | -130 |
Joaquin Niemann | +100 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Tringale vs J. Kokrak | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Tringale | -135 |
Jason Kokrak | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – P. Uihlein vs B. Steele | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Peter Uihlein | -125 |
Brendan Steele | -105 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Smith v T. Hatton | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Tyrrell Hatton | -125 |
Cameron Smith | -105 |
Tournament Match-Up – P. Perez v P. Mickelson | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Pat Perez | -135 |
Phil Mickelson | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Rahm v B. DeChambeau | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | -150 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +115 |
Tournament Match-Up – C. Smith v B. Koepka | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Smith | -135 |
Brooks Koepka | +105 |
Tournament Match-Up – D. Johnson v S. Garcia | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Dustin Johnson | -115 |
Sergio Garcia | -115 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Hatton v L. Oosthuizen | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Tyrrell Hatton | -130 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +100 |
1st Round Match-Ups – A. Ancer vs D. Burmester | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Dean Burmester | -120 |
Abraham Ancer | +100 |
1st Round Match-Ups – P. Casey vs C. Ortiz | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Paul Casey | -120 |
Carlos Ortiz | +100 |
1st Round Match-Ups – C. Howell vs B. Steele | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Charles Howell III | -115 |
Brendan Steele | -105 |
1st Round Match-Ups – D. Johnson vs S. Garcia | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Sergio Garcia | -115 |
Dustin Johnson | -105 |
1st Round Match-Ups – M. Jones vs R. Bland | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Richard Bland | -120 |
Matt Jones | +100 |
1st Round Match-Ups – B. Koepka vs T. Gooch | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Brooks Koepka | -110 |
Talor Gooch | -110 |
1st Round Match-Ups – M. Leishman vs M. Pereira | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Mito Pereira | -115 |
Marc Leishman | -105 |
1st Round Match-Ups – L. Oosthuizen vs T. Hatton | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Louis Oosthuizen | -110 |
Tyrrell Hatton | -110 |
1st Round Match-Ups – T. Pieters vs C. Surrat | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Caleb Surratt | -110 |
Thomas Pieters | -110 |
1st Round Match-Ups – D. Puig vs P. Uihlein | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
David Puig | -110 |
Peter Uihlein | -110 |
1st Round Match-Ups – J. Rahm vs J. Niemann | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | -115 |
Joaquin Niemann | -105 |
1st Round Match-Ups – P. Reed vs L. Herbert | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Patrick Reed | -115 |
Lucas Herbert | -105 |
1st Round Match-Ups – C. Smith vs B. Dechambeau | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Bryson DeChambeau | -120 |
Cameron Smith | +100 |
1st Round Match-Ups – C. Tringale vs J. Kokrak | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Ups – Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Tringale | -110 |
Jason Kokrak | -110 |
1st Round Six-Shooter – Group A – J. Rahm / C. Smith / J. Niemann / L. Oosthuizen / B. DeChambeau / T. Hatton | |
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | +320 |
Joaquin Niemann | +350 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +450 |
Cameron Smith | +500 |
Louis Oosthuizen | +500 |
Tyrrell Hatton | +500 |
1st Round Six-Shooter – Group B – B. Koepka / A. Ancer / T. Gooch / S. Garcia / D. Burmester / D. Johnson | |
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter – Status: OPEN | |
Brooks Koepka | +375 |
Talor Gooch | +375 |
Dean Burmester | +400 |
Abraham Ancer | +450 |
Sergio Garcia | +450 |
Dustin Johnson | +500 |
1st Round Six-Shooter – Group C – P. Reed / C. Ortiz / P. Casey / M. Pereira / L. Herbert / M. Leishman | |
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter – Status: OPEN | |
Carlos Ortiz | +400 |
Lucas Herbert | +400 |
Patrick Reed | +400 |
Paul Casey | +400 |
Mito Pereira | +425 |
Marc Leishman | +500 |
1st Round Six-Shooter – Group D – C. Howell / B. Steele / M. Wolff / P. Uihlein / D. Puig / J. Kokrak | |
Type: 1st Round Six-Shooter – Status: OPEN | |
Charles Howell | +400 |
David Puig | +400 |
Matthew Wolff | +400 |
Brendan Steele | +425 |
Jason Kokrak | +450 |
Peter Uihlein | +450 |
1st Round Score – Abraham Ancer | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -140 |
Under 68.5 | +100 |
1st Round Score – Adrian Meronk | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +100 |
Under 69.5 | -140 |
1st Round Score – Brendan Steele | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 69.5 | +100 |
Under 69.5 | -140 |
1st Round Score – Brooks Koepka | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | +100 |
Under 68.5 | -140 |
1st Round Score – Bryson DeChambeau | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | +110 |
Under 68.5 | -150 |
1st Round Score – Cameron Smith | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | +110 |
Under 68.5 | -150 |
1st Round Score – Carlos Ortiz | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -140 |
Under 68.5 | +100 |
1st Round Score – Jon Rahm | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 67.5 | -140 |
Under 67.5 | +100 |
1st Round Score – Joaquin Niemann | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 67.5 | -150 |
Under 67.5 | +110 |
1st Round Score – Patrick Reed | |
Type: 1st Round Score – Status: OPEN | |
Over 68.5 | -140 |
Under 68.5 | +100 |
1st Round 3-Balls – A. Ancer / L. Oosthuizen / B. Watson | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Louis Oosthuizen | +110 |
Abraham Ancer | +150 |
Bubba Watson | +360 |
1st Round 3-Balls – T. Hatton / K. Na / M. Leishman | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tyrrell Hatton | +110 |
Marc Leishman | +200 |
Kevin Na | +250 |
1st Round 3-Balls – B. Koepka / C. Smith / D. Burmester | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Cameron Smith | +165 |
Brooks Koepka | +175 |
Dean Burmester | +185 |
1st Round 3-Balls – I. Poulter / P. Reed / P. Casey | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Patrick Reed | +130 |
Paul Casey | +135 |
Ian Poulter | +320 |
1st Round 3-Balls – J. Rahm / J. Niemann / B. DeChambeau | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jon Rahm | +150 |
Joaquin Niemann | +170 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +210 |
1st Round 3-Balls – B. Steele / T. Gooch / D. Johnson | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Talor Gooch | +130 |
Dustin Johnson | +175 |
Brendan Steele | +240 |
1st Round 3-Balls – S. Garcia / H. Stenson / P. Mickelson | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sergio Garcia | +110 |
Henrik Stenson | +180 |
Phil Mickelson | +275 |
1st Round 3-Balls – L. Herbert / M. Pereira / H. Varner | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Lucas Herbert | +140 |
Mito Pereira | +165 |
Harold Varner III | +230 |
1st Round 3-Balls – C. Ortiz / M. Wolff / C. Schwartzel | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Carlos Ortiz | +140 |
Matthew Wolff | +175 |
Charl Schwartzel | +220 |
1st Round 3-Balls – P. Uihlein / R. Bland / M. Jones | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Peter Uihlein | +165 |
Richard Bland | +175 |
Matt Jones | +185 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – J. Svensson / H. Li / M. Manassero | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Haotong Li | +135 |
Jesper Svensson | +170 |
Matteo Manassero | +250 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – T. Kho / T. McKibbin / Y. Paul | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Tom McKibbin | +120 |
Yannick Paul | +145 |
Taichi Kho | +325 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – H. Xue / S. Tarrio / S. Jamieson | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Jamieson | +100 |
Santiago Tarrio | +145 |
Han Xue | +425 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – A. Cockerill / Z. Jin / M. Kieffer | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Aaron Cockerill | +120 |
Maximilian Kieffer | +140 |
Zihao Jin | +350 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – M. Elvira / C. Jarvis / X. Luo | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Manuel Elvira | +105 |
Casey Jarvis | +130 |
Xuewen Luo | +475 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – R. Gouveia / A. Pavan / OM Prakash Chouhan | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrea Pavan | +135 |
Ricardo Gouveia | +145 |
Om Prakash Chouhan | +275 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – D. Hillier / J. Wang / D. Bradbury | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Daniel Hillier | +135 |
Dan Bradbury | +140 |
Jeunghun Wang | +300 |
2nd Round 3 Balls – S. Kodaira / S. Gallacher / N. Colsaerts | |
Type: 2nd Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Satoshi Kodaira | +120 |
Nicolas Colsaerts | +180 |
Stephen Gallacher | +250 |
Insperity Invitational | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | +450 |
Padraig Harrington | +600 |
Stephen Ames | +1200 |
Jerry Kelly | +1400 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1400 |
David Toms | +1600 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Alex Cejka | +2000 |
Retief Goosen | +2000 |
KJ Choi | +2200 |
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1st Round 3-Balls – J. Leonard / S. Ames / P. Harrington | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Padraig Harrington | +105 |
Stephen Ames | +170 |
Justin Leonard | +330 |
1st Round 3-Balls – S. Alker / R. Goosen / E. Els | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Steven Alker | -105 |
Ernie Els | +230 |
Retief Goosen | +260 |
1st Round 3-Balls – M.A. Jimenez / J. Kelly / P. Broadhurst | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jerry Kelly | +160 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +160 |
Paul Broadhurst | +220 |
1st Round 3-Balls – V. Singh / K.J. Choi / D. Toms | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
David Toms | +130 |
K.J. Choi | +170 |
Vijay Singh | +250 |
1st Round 3-Balls – C. Montgomerie / A. Cejka / D. Clarke | |
Type: 1st Round 3-Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Cejka | +120 |
Darren Clarke | +170 |
Colin Montgomerie | +280 |
Scottie Scheffler Specials | |
Type: Scottie Scheffler Specials – Status: OPEN | |
Win Any Remaining Signature Event | -200 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) | +115 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +125 |
US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +135 |
All Remaining Signature Events – Top 10 Finish | +200 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +200 |
US Open (Top 5 Finish) & The Open (Top 5 Finish) | +210 |
PGA Championship (Top 10 Finish) & US Open (Top 10 Finish) & The Open (Top 10 Finish) | +240 |
PGA Championship (Top 5 Finish) & US Open (Top 5 Finish) | +280 |
Win 2 Remaining Signature Events | +450 |
Click here for more… | |
PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2500 |
Collin Morikawa | +2500 |
Max Homa | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
Rory McIlroy – RBC Canadian Open Winner | +1000 |
Miles Russell – Win a Major before 30th birthday | +3500 |
Scottie Scheffler & Nelly Korda – Win All Remaining 2024 Majors | +50000 |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Rory McIlroy | +1200 |
Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Viktor Hovland | +2000 |
Brooks Koepka | +2500 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
Xander Schauffele | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +500 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Requests | |
Type: Requests – Status: OPEN | |
The Open Championship – Alex Noren – Top 20 Finish | +200 |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |