Keita Nakajima

Winner of the Mark McCormack Medal as the world’s leading amateur for the last two years, but having turned professional in September it was not until he lost a play-off to Kensei Hirata at May’s Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open that he reclaimed a place in the field for The 151st Open. Four spots were up for grabs there as part of the Qualifying Series.

While still an amateur he captured the 2021 Panasonic Open when he beat Ryutaro Nagano at the first extra hole and with it moved close to breaking into the world’s top 200.

He came second in the 2019 Japan Amateur Championship and then went one better in 2021.

Just 15 when he was first invited to play a JGTO event, he held joint fourth place after an opening 69 in the Japan Open a year later and first topped the amateur world rankings 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 for a record 87 weeks before deciding to leave the amateur ranks. He achieved his first JGTO title as a professional on June 11, beating Takumi Kanaya in a play-off.