Current JGTO money ranking leader Kensei Hirata will be hoping to end his season in the same position he is occupying now as the JGTO heads into its exciting climax with the penultimate Casio World Open Golf Tournament that starts on Thursday.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable season that has been highlighted by four wins. Those victories have propelled him to the top of the money ranking where he leads by slightly more than JPY 2,800,000 over Takumi Kanaya.
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With a winner’s prize purse of JPY 40,000,000 on offer at the Casio World Open, the race to top the money ranking is still wide open for players placed inside the top five on the ranking.
When asked about the intriguing showdown ahead, Hirata said: “If I want to secure the money ranking title this week, I know I’ll need to finish ahead of Kanaya. Of course, achieving the best possible result which is to win is the ideal scenario and ultimate goal for me. I’m in good form and I’m feeling optimistic about my chances this week.”
Kanaya is meanwhile looking to avenge his heartbreak of missing out on the money ranking title last year and has also vowed to put in a better showing at the Casio World Open after being in contention at the 2021 and 2024 editions before having to settle for a tied-fourth and seventh finish respectively.
“The race to the money title ended at this tournament last year. I’ve played this tournament twice, and both times I was in the final group on the last day, but both ended with frustrating results. It was a very frustrating experience so I’m determined to make a comeback and seek revenge in this tournament this week
Defending champion Taichi Nabetani clinched the Casio World Open by a single shot for his JGTO breakthrough last year. It has been a barren run for the 28-year-old since then but he is hoping a return to familiar winning ground will reignite that winning form again.
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“I can’t believe it’s already been a year since that victory. Time really flies. But I’m still focused on seeking a second victory, especially at this tournament which I have won before,” said Nabetani.
