Staff Writer
Keita Nakajima WITB
Driver: Stealth 2 Plus Driver
Fairway: SIM2 Max Fairway
Rescue: Stealth 2 19.0° Rescue
Irons:
P·7MC 4-5
P·7MB 6-9
Wedges:
MG4 46°, 52°, 56° TW, 60° TW
Putter: TP Reserve B11
Golf Ball: TP5 golf ball
Keita Nakajima’s WITB Hero Indian Open setup took centre stage as the 23-year-old overcame a few late tremors to capture his very first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open—an achievement he managed in just his 11th start.
If you tuned in hoping for a smooth-sailing victory stroll, you got more of a roller-coaster ride, but that’s precisely the kind of drama that makes golf so enthralling.
Nakajima, who famously spent a record 87 weeks perched atop the World Amateur Golf Ranking before turning pro in 2022, began the final round at DLF Golf & Country Club with a four-stroke cushion.
By the time he reached the back nine, he’d ballooned that lead to a lofty nine strokes—thanks to four birdies on the outward half and just a single blemish at the par-four seventh. But in classic golf fashion, nothing was decided until the final putt.
He parred the opening four holes on the inward half, only to stumble with a double bogey on the 14th, trimming his advantage to a still-healthy five strokes.
Nakajima immediately bounced back, carding a birdie at 15, then closed with three straight bogeys to post a one-over 73.
When the dust settled, he stood at 17 under par, a full four shots ahead of India’s Veer Ahlawat, Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg, and American Johannes Veerman.
This triumph marks his fourth win in the span of merely ten months, building on three 2023 victories on the Japan Golf Tour—results that secured him the top spot on their Order of Merit and guaranteed his place in the 2024 Race to Dubai.
It also continues Japan’s golden streak on the DP World Tour, coming hot on the heels of Ryo Hisatsune’s title at the Open de France and Rikuya Hoshino’s win at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters earlier this season.
Meanwhile, Söderberg and Veerman both fired five-under 67s to share the runner-up spot alongside Ahlawat, whose dramatic eagle on the 18th brought roars from the home crowd and pushed him to 13 under par.
While that gave the Indian fans plenty to cheer about, this Sunday ultimately belonged to Nakajima.
