Eight JGTO members together with Masahiro Kawamura and Japan’s major champion Hideki Matsuyama will face their major test when they face off against several of the world’s best players at The 152nd Open which starts on Thursday.
While 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama is expected to spearhead Japan’s charge at Royal Troon Golf Club, all eyes will also be on players such as Keita Nakajima and Rikuya Hoshino to make their impact, especially with their respective exploits internationally.
Hoshino, a six-time JGTO winner, who turned professional in 2016 will be making his fourth appearance at The Open where his best result in three outings was a tied-60th finish at Royal Liverpool last year.
After finishing second on the money list in 2022, the 28-year-old earned his playing rights on the DP World Tour where he would go on to become the first Japanese player to win in Qatar this February and only the fourth to win on the DP World Tour after Isao Aoki, Matsuyama and Ryo Hisatsune.
“It’s important to get off to a good start in the first round. A good result on the opening day will help to ease some pressure and I hope to start well,” said Hoshino, who will tee off alongside England’s Richard Mansell and Spain’s Angel Hidalgo in his first round.
Like Hoshino, reigning JGTO money list champion Nakajima also announced his arrival on the world stage with his wire-to-wire victory in India on the DP World Tour in March.
The former world amateur no. 1, who held that ranking for a record 87 weeks between 2021 and 2022, missed the cuts at The Open in his two previous appearances in 2022 and 2023.
The 24-year-old will have the company of Australia’s Adam Scott and Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard in his opening round and hopes he can make the weekend cut for the first time in three attempts.
“It’ll be nice to make the cut for the first time at The Open. If I can get pass that, then I’ll set further goals. The best players in the world are here this week and it’ll be a true test of golf for everyone. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself but more importantly, I just want to play to my true potential,” said Nakajima.
Meanwhile, it will be the second appearance for Ryosuke Kinoshita, Yuto Katsuragawa and South Korea’s Song Yong-han while the trio of Ryo Hisatsune, Aguri Iwasaki and Guntaek Koh will be making their Open debuts.
“Playing in a major like The Open is every professional’s dream. And I’m no different. I’m very happy I have the opportunity to be here and I just want to do my best and make it a memorable week,” said Hisatsune.
