Fearless Keita Nakajima comfortably ahead at Indian Open with four-stroke lead ahead of final round

Ever since his impressive seven-under showing late in the first round, Keita Nakajima became the player to beat at the 2024 Hero Indian Open this week. After another gutsy display on Saturday, as he heads into the final round with a four-stroke lead, the rest of the field have a tough task to prove that they can.

The 23-year-old from Japan backed up successive rounds of 65 with a four-under 68 on Saturday to take his score to 18 under par ahead of the final day. Malaysia’s Gavin Green shot a remarkable bogey-free eight-under 64 – which was the single-round course record here until Friday, when Norway’s Espen Kofstad hit ten-under – to rise to tied-second alongside France’s Romain Langasque with an accumulated score of 14 under par. Green was the runner-up at this event in 2017 and the eighth-place finisher last year. Italy’s Matteo Manassero and France’s Jeong weon Ko are behind in tied-fourth with total scores of thirteen under par.

Among the Indian contingent, 28-year-old Veer Ahlawat shot a solid three under par on his home course to keep his place as sole sixth with a score of 12 under par. Manu Gandas (tied-13th, eight under) and Aman Raj (tied-24th, six under) were the only others in the top 25. Only eight made the cut.

The DLF Golf and Country Club, in the four prior editions it had held this European Tour (DP World Tour) event, held a reputation for being particularly intimidating. But this year, with sunny and less windy conditions, players have paved a roadmap for scoring here, and none more so than Nakajima, who has hit 22 birdies and an eagle across 54 holes this week.

The 23-year-old is in his first full season on the Tour, having earned his card as the topper of the Japanese Golf Tour’s Order of Merit, where he is a three-time winner. This week is his first time playing at DLF G&CC, and his first time in India. He is playing without the inhibitions of a player who has been previously spooked by this course.

“You have to play tee shots here with confidence, don’t think about the course too much. Staying true to my game and my swing and (staying) accurate,” he said in as much English as he could muster after his round on Saturday. “This is a tough course, bogeys can happen. It’s okay. You have to keep calm, you will (have the chance) to bring it back.”

His gutsiness was present throughout his round on Saturday. After a disappointing bogey on the eighth (the same hole on which Langasque hit a birdie to equal scores at the top), he came agonisingly close to bringing it back on the ninth, missing a birdie putt by mere centimetres. Bouncing back immediately, though, he would create more room for himself with back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th.

On the par five 18th hole, as opposed to going safe, he went for the braver option of using his second shot to approach the green straight away. He saw the ball go into the thick rough, and pressure ramped up as rival Langasque set up the eagle putt that he could not. Displaying his ease in these conditions, he was out of the rough to putt for a birdie, maintaining his four-shot lead as Langasque buckled to miss the eagle that could have cut it short.

Earlier this week, Nakajima had said he feels comfortable in the lead as opposed to being a part of the chasing pack. That cushion has only grown heading into the final day.

The Japanese player holds one of the more peculiar world records in golf: he was the World No. 1 amateur for 87 weeks, shattering two-time Major winner Jon Rahm’s previously-held record of 60 weeks. Winner of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships, his stature as an amateur has seen him feature at The Masters and The Open in 2022, and finish tied-28th on his PGA Tour debut at the 2021 ZOZO Championships.

But as he has been keen to stress this week, his time as an amateur should be put in the past, and a first professional win on the European Tour, well within reach, may do just that.

“One more day. I will try my best. Keep the same tempo, all the same, just keep going,” he said.

LEADERBOARD AT INDIAN OPEN

1. Keita Nakajima (JPN): -18

T2. Gavin Green (MYS): -14

T2. Romain Langasque (FRA): -14

T4. Matteo Manassero (ITA): -13

T4. Jeong weon Ko (FRA): -13

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