Four Japanese players qualify at Mizuno Open

The Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open produced four home qualifiers as Kensei Hirata, Keita Nakajima, Takumi Kanaya and Kazuki Yasumori finished as the leading quartet in the latest event of The Open Qualifying Series.

Hirata beat Nakajima on the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to claim his first title on the Japan Golf Tour.

The pair had each finished the final round on 17-under par, one clear of Kanaya and Yasumori.

Taiga Semikawa, the only player in the field already exempt for The 151st Open, carded a sensational 63 on Sunday to claim fifth.

While Hirata and Yasumori are set to make their Open debuts at Royal Liverpool, Nakajima and Kanaya have previous experience of golf’s original Championship.

Kanaya will play in his fourth successive Open, having featured at Royal Portrush, Royal St George’s and St Andrews, while Nakajima made his Championship debut in The 150th Open.

Kanaya and Nakajima have also achieved a number of similar feats thus far in their careers, both men having topped the World Amateur Golf Rankings, won the Mark H McCormack Medal and claimed victories in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship.

Any golfer who has earned a qualifying place who then becomes exempt under one or more categories before the closing date of entries for The Open on 1 June will result in that place being awarded to the next non-exempt golfer, which will determined by a reserve list for each event played before this date.