Nakajima secures first DP World tour win at Indian Open

Keita Nakajima overcame a nervy finish as he won his maiden DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open on just his 11th  start.

Nakajima set the pace early in India with consecutive rounds of 65, putting him firmly in the driving seat. This was followed by a four-under round of 68 to get to 18-under and match the biggest 54-hole lead of the season so far.

The 23-year-old Japanese, who spent a record 87 weeks as the world’s top-ranked amateur before turning professional in 2022, started the final day at DLF Golf & Country Club four strokes ahead and extended that advantage to nine with ten holes to play.

Four birdies on the front nine contributed to his healthy lead, with just a single bogey on the par four seventh. He parred the first four holes on his back nine before a double bogey on the 14th saw his lead cut to five.

NERVY FINISH 

Nakajima recovered with a birdie on the 15th to move six ahead and he then bogeyed each of his last three holes to sign for a one-over 73, finishing with a 17 under par total, four sclear of India’s Veer Ahlawat, Sebastian Söderberg of Sweden and American Johannes Veerman.

The victory was his fourth in the space of just ten months, adding to three wins on the Japan Golf Tour in 2023 which saw him top the Order of Merit and earn playing rights for the DP World Tour’s 2024 season.

Söderberg and Veerman carded matching five under par 67s to share second along with Ahlawat, who carded an eagle on the last in front of a raucous crowd on his home course to join them on 13 under par.

Nakajima said: “I’m very happy to win on DP World Tour for the first time. 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.”

For the final scores from the Hero Indian Open, click here. 

KEITA NAKAJIMA WITB