Keita Nakajima said he felt he was experiencing something new as he shot a final round one over par 73 for a 17 under par 72-hole total of 271 to win the HERO Indian Open at DLF Golf & Country Club in Haryana.
Taking a four-shot lead into the final round – the 23-year-old took the golf course by storm with a front nine of 33 to be 21 under par at the turn.
He struggled on a couple of holes on the back nine with the swirling wind providing the toughest conditions of the week, over the hugely demanding Gary Player layout, to finish with a four-stroke victory.
Tied second on 13 under-par was Veer Ahlawat, the leading Indian player in the field, alongside Sebastian Soderberg (Swe) and Johannes Veerman (US).
Following a distinguished amateur career, including a win in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Dubai Creek Golf Resort in 2021, Nakajima turned professional in 2022.
He was Number One in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) for a record 87 weeks.
Tipped for a while to be a world star this is his fifth professional tournament win and his first on the DP World Tour, winning four times on the Japan Tour, including one victory as an amateur.
The summary of the week for Nakajima was 27 birdies and an eagle – showing the quality of his play and scoring.
He moves up 77 spots to 13th on the Race to Dubai Rankings and leads the Asian Swing after just two events. Whoever tops the five-event Swing will win $200,000 plus so many other invite opportunities during this season.
Nakajima also stands 78th in the OWGR published earlier this week.
Nakajima said on completing his final round “I’m very happy. Winning here on the DP World Tour for the first time is a new feeling all in itself, but right now just very happy.
“I felt very comfortable heading into the front nine with an eight-stroke lead, but the back nine was playing very tough today and I didn’t have the best finish, but very happy to have gotten it done in the end.
“The win definitely gives me a lot of confidence in myself and I am hoping now to take what I did this week and turn it into even more wins in the future,: he added.
“My goal for the year is to try and get in the top 10 on this year’s Race to Dubai Rankings to gain dual card status to gain access to privileges on the 2025 PGA Tour.”
The next DP World Tour-sanctioned event on the calendar is The Masters next week, with the Korea Championship the following week, 18th – 21st April 2024.
Final Results (7,416 Yards, Par 72).
Nakajima (Jap) 65. 65. 68. 73. 271.
Ahlawat (Ind) 69. 66. 69. 71. 275.
Soderberg (Swe) 71. 67. 70. 67. 275.
Veerman (US) 70. 65. 73. 67. 275.
ALSO READ