Keita Nakajima

Winner of the Mark McCormack Medal as the world’s leading amateur in 2021 and 2022, Nakajima is now back for a third successive Open as the leading player on the Federation Ranking list at the end of May, a new category offering five international places at Royal Troon.

With two victories Nakajima became the Japan Tour No 1 last year and was also their Rookie of the Year. He added his first DP World Tour title in March when he led the Hero Indian Open from start to finish.

Having turned professional he could not take up a place at Royal Liverpool in 2023 until he finished as the runner-up to Kensei Hirata at last May’s Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open, where four spots were up for grabs as part of the Qualifying Series.

By then he had already won on his home circuit as an amateur. The former Japan amateur champion was just 15 when he was first invited to play a JGTO event and first topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking in November 2020.

A year later he won the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, which also offered a place into The Open at St Andrews and an invitation to The Masters at Augusta National. In all Nakajima held top spot in the amateur rankings for a record 87 weeks.

He entered the world’s top 100 when he closed last year with finishes of first, 20th, second, fourth and second.