Day: October 14, 2022

Keita Nakajima: Five Things to KnowKeita Nakajima: Five Things to Know

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022| 9:00

Through two rounds of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP the leading Japanese player is not defending champion and eight-time PGA TOUR winner Hideki Matsuyama, instead it is rising star Keita Nakajima. Rounds of 70-63 have the former world no.1 amateur at 7-under par and inside the top 5 in his first PGA TOUR start as a professional, just three shots off the lead. Here are five things to know about the local favorite. 1. Nakajima played in five PGA TOUR events last season, including three majors, as an amateur. He booked a ticket to the Masters and The Open Championship at St. Andrews via victory in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and also had an exemption into the U.S. Open thanks to taking out the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the No.1 men’s amateur in 2021. While he was unable to make the cut in the major championships, he was T28 a year ago at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP and also had a decent week at the Sony Open in Hawaii to finish 41st. Nakajima only recently turned professional after a total of 87 weeks as the world’s best amateur. He finished T48 at the 2022 Panasonic Open in his first start as a professional and followed that with a T26 at the 2022 Vantelin Tokai Classic. 2. Nakajima already has a victory on the Japan Golf Tour, winning the Panasonic Open in 2021. He used his title defense as his first pro start. While Hideki Matsuyama is a hero to the young star, he credits his friend Takumi Kanaya as a huge factor in his success having been part of the Japan National Team system under Australian coach Gareth Jones together. “I became his teammate when I joined the national team and was able to learn from and follow in his footsteps by being awarded the McCormack Medal and winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship,” Nakajima said. “I respect him very much. I grew up watching Takumi and he did the same following in the steps of Hideki. I feel it’s my responsibility to leave a positive impression on the players that will come after I leave.” 3. While Matsuyama is his Japanese golf idol, Tiger Woods helped cement golf as Nakajima’s passion. “My family all play golf and I started playing when I was around 6 years old. 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,” he told PGATOUR.com “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. “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 (in 2021). I hope to one day become a player that can deliver a speech like that.” 4. His dream is to join Matsuyama on the PGA TOUR full-time. “He’s a superstar in Japan. I want to catch up to Hideki,” Nakajima said during the Sony Open last season. “I can only imagine all sorts of pressure he must feel to being the first Japanese to accomplish anything. To have that weight on his shoulders and still overcome that to accomplish a feat like winning the Masters is really cool. “My main goal is to successfully play on the PGA TOUR. I hope 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.” 5. He has been compared to Dustin Johnson. “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,” Nakajima said. “I definitely don’t hit it as far as Dustin, but I am working on hitting it farther.” Nakajima uses a TaylorMade setup on the course. Check out his full bag here.

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Missed cut helps vintage Rickie Fowler return at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIPMissed cut helps vintage Rickie Fowler return at ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022| 8:01

Missing the cut immediately after your first top 10 on the PGA TOUR in 11 months is not usually a recipe for success, but for Rickie Fowler a weekend off in Las Vegas was a blessing in disguise. Fowler was unable to continue his momentum at the Shriners Children’s Open from his season opening T6 at the Fortinet Championship last week but missing out on weekend play at TPC Summerlin allowed the 33-year-old to spend more time with coach Butch Harmon as they rekindle their relationship. The results were on show in Japan as Fowler backed up his opening 67 with a bogey free 7-under 63 in the second round to join a share of the lead at 10 under with Andrew Putnam. It’s the 11th 36-hole lead of his career and first since The American Express in January of 2020. Fowler recently returned to Harmon, the man who helped him from an early age with his swing, after a three-year run with John Tillery. While he was unable to contend for the Shriners title last week, the 2015 PLAYERS champion was able to get some much-needed personal time with the veteran coach in Las Vegas as a result of his free weekend. The two have been working on a steeper left arm plane to get Fowler’s hands higher at the top and the club in a better position which gives him more room and space and makes his swing more efficient. “The last two days I wouldn’t say I had my best swing wise. I kind of did a good job of managing my way around,” Fowler said. “But I’ll get some work in tomorrow before the round and try and exaggerate a few things where I’m a little bit tighter in lines and flights that I want. But I can’t complain about a 63. “I’m very happy with where we’re at. Obviously didn’t have the week we wanted last week, drove it poorly, but with some of the changes we’ve made and to have the finish that we did at Napa and kind of seeing a lot of good things, I’m definitely happy about it and excited to be here and off to a good start.” In Japan on a sponsor invite after missing the FedExCup Playoffs in 2021 and barely scraping in in 2022, Fowler has eaten Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club’s five par 3’s alive, playing them six under par through two rounds with seven birdies and one bogey. While Fowler is popular everywhere around the globe, his Japanese heritage via his grandfather certainly helped elevate his support. “I definitely enjoy myself over here and the people are awesome. It is really cool to play in front of the Japanese fans,” he said. “Hoping we can give them more good golf over the weekend.”

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