Sleeper Picks: Shriners Children’s Open

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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.

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Here are nine tidbits from the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be looking for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Know Thy Enemy These were the top 10 picked golfers in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The decisions might have been a bit more difficult this week with a field of 144 instead of 34. Now you know who you’re up against! Lead Dawg Chris Kirk (Georgia Bulldogs) fired a bogey-free 63 in the morning wave to grab the lead. Kirk matched his opening-round 63 at The RSM Classic to wrap up the 2017 season (T4). This is the fifth time in the last six years that he’s posted 65 or lower at Waialae. He posted back-to-back finishes inside the top five in this event in 2013-14 with T5 and solo second. Co-Lead Dawg Zach Johnson (Drake Bulldogs) shares the lead also with a bogey-free 63. This Dawg didn’t have the pain and suffering as his friends from Athens after Georgia lost to Alabama in the College Football Playoff on Monday night. Johnson, similarly to Kirk, was posting low ones at the end of last year with a closing 64 at Mayakoba before a third round 64 at The RSM Classic (T8). The 2009 champ was late arriving because of the flu but he’s hit the ground running and looks to grab his fourth top 10 in the last five years. Hardy Har-Harman The way he’s been playing in recent weeks is no laughing matter. His 64 to open suggests he’s not satisfied collecting top 10s. Harman played in the final group the final three rounds last week and finished third, his fourth straight outing inside the top 10. Hop on that saddle and have both hands on the reigns! The Old Man and the Sea As I wrote about in The Confidence Factor, Waialae is Jerry Kelly’s happy place. Sure, he’s 51 but he’s also the second-highest earner in the history of this event. This is his 21st start and his opening round 66 will put him in a great position to make his 16th weekend. His MC last year broke up a streak of three in a row in the top 10. Think Fred Couples at Augusta if you need a comparison! Tide Rolling Defending champion Justin Thomas (67) posted his worst round in five trips as he didn’t sign for anything over 65 in setting the tournament scoring record last year. With Jim “Bones” McKay on the bag for the first time, Thomas didn’t square a bogey and made three birdies. The wind, as expected, was not a factor on Thursday so he’s in excellent shape for Friday morning to get even lower. With 59 and 61 to his name on this track already, I’m sticking him into the lineup tomorrow. Players who didn’t get in red figures today are going to have to get low on Friday as the top 98 are currently even or better. The cut last year was 3-under-par 137. Moon Rising Two-time winner Sangmoon Bae is back on TOUR after serving required military service in his native Korea. His two year duty has ended and he’s back and looking to recapture the form that made him valuable to gamers from 2012-2015. His final full season, 2015, saw him tee it up 30 times, win once and add four additional top 10s. At 31 he’s hardly past it as his 66 on Thursday suggests. I’ll also point out this is his first round in the 60s in 11 tries this season so I’m not jumping in just yet. Spieth’s ‘Snowman’ Those who stuck him in the starting lineup won’t be happy with his snowman in paradise on the penultimate hole of the day. The good news is that quadruple bogey was surrounded by eight birdies, including one on the final hole of the day that will make dinner for Spieth, and gamers, taste a little bit better. Last week, Spieth got off to a slow start yet rallied in Round 2. The brave (or trailing) will throw him out there tomorrow but those near the top can patiently bide their time. Study Hall Jimmy Walker (74) has a fantastic recent record at this event but he’s also battling Lyme disease and is nowhere near 100 percent physically or mentally, the television coverage reported … Luke Donald was hospitalized with chest pains at The RSM Classic in the first round leading to his withdrawal. He opened with 72 in his first event back … Morgan Hoffmann (69) disclosed in early December that he has been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. … Ryan Palmer (71) returned to action after shoulder surgery knocked him out after the Wyndham Championship. He has six starts on his major medical exemption to keep his status.

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