Keita Nakajima is planning to smile his way through the brutal test of DLF Golf and Country Club as he looks to mount a successful defence of his title at the Hero Indian Open.
The New Delhi layout is regarded as one of the toughest on the DP World Tour but for 67 holes last year Nakajima made a mockery of that as he got to 21 under and opened up a nine-shot lead.
He handed four shots back over his closing five holes but his 17 under par total was still the record at the venue for the Hero Indian Open.
Nakajima, however, is no less aware that the course can show its teeth and believes patience and a little good humour could be the key to conquering it again.
“This is a tough course,” he said. “I’m very proud of how I played last year and I will just try to remain patient again this year.
“I'm a little nervous as it's a tough golf course but I will stay patient, keep smiling and enjoy it.
“I'm better than last year because I have a great short game right now and I'm in good form this week.
“Last year, winning here was so great. It gave me a lot of confidence in my first season and also I was able to play all the way to the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
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“I’m excited to play again in this tournament and honoured to be back as a defending champion. Of course I want to win but it is a tough golf course so I have to just commit to one shot at a time.
“I'm excited and honoured to be back. India is my one favourite countries and I love the golf course so I'm looking forward to playing a good tournament and putting on a good performance for the fans.”
Nakajima's victory 12 months ago formed part of a remarkable spell on the DP World Tour for Japanese players, with Ryo Hisatsune, Rikuya Hoshino and Yuto Katsuragawa all claiming wins between September 2023 and April 2024.
Hisatusne's win helped him earn dual membership with the PGA TOUR and after keeping his playing privileges in 2024, he already has two top tens this season including at last week's Valspar Championship.
Nakajima arrives in New Delhi 20th on the Race to Dubai after a runner-up finish at last week's Porsche Singapore Classic and would love to clinch one of the 20 dual memberships available to the top ten players not already exempt and join his countryman as a global star.
“Last week in Singapore, the performance was great,” he said. “I had five or six weeks off, but I was prepared for this Asian Swing. I finished second but I was playing great and I still feel positive this week. I will try to give my best performance this week.
“I want to win this tournament again and I want to earn dual membership on the PGA TOUR next year by finishing inside the top ten on the Rankings. It's five Japanese players playing on the PGA TOUR and this is so good for Japan.”
