Keita Nakajima (-14), the best Number One amateur the world of golf has seen to date, has taken the lead in the Hero Indian Open after signing a second consecutive card of 65 strokes. The Japanese golfer, four-time winner on the Japan Tour, has a two-stroke lead over Romain Langasque (-12) and three over Matteo Manassero (-11). The second round could not be completed due to a late electrical storm, but we already know that only Adrián Otaegui (-4), Ángel Hidalgo (-3) and Alfredo García Heredia (+2) have a chance to make the cut among the Spaniards.
Nakajima has gained access to the DP World Tour thanks to the commitment to create a circuit as global as possible, which has led to collaboration agreements with other more exotic tours such as the Japan Tour, PGA Tour Australasia, India or Korea. At 23 years old, the Japanese player is destined to do great things. He is going step by step, without hurry but without pause. It will be strange not to see him winning already in this year 2024 on the European circuit. He was close in Ras al Khaimah and this week he has created a new opportunity, even clearer.
Nakajima’s round has been very powerful, the best of the day, although the most relevant thing is how he has been able to finish with birdie-eagle on 17 and 18 after chaining three consecutive bogeys from 14 to 16. It denotes a fabulous recovery capacity, as well as a very well planted head on his shoulders.
Nakajima’s work is far from done. His pursuers are fierce hunting dogs. Both Langasque and Manassero are not going to make it easy, plus others who may join coming from behind like Jeong Weon Ko (-10), the best of the Friday afternoon shift who was able to finish his round, Joost Luiten (-10), who still has three holes left, the Indian Veer Ahlawat (-9) or Johannes Veerman (-8), with one hole still ahead. The rest seem to be a bit far away, although the DLF Golf and CC, the venue of the tournament, provides great leaps in the classification every weekend.
In this sense, we should not rule out Adrián Otaegui (-4) and Ángel Hidalgo (-3) yet. They are very far away, yes, but this course is different from all others. “I know I can still get to -17 or -18 on Sunday,” confessed an ambitious Hidalgo to Ten Golf. With that record there is no doubt that he would have options.
To achieve this, in any case, the Malaga player knows that he has to improve his performance from the tee, a crucial aspect in this tournament. “Today I hit very badly on the tees and it gets very complicated here. It’s not just that I’ve only hit six fairways, but most of the time it was almost unplayable. It happened to me on 14, 15, 18, 4 and 7… Today if it wasn’t for the putt and the approach (quality seal of the house), I would already be at home,” he explains. In all those holes, except on 18, he managed recoveries for birdie or par. The stoppage due to an electrical storm caught him on the 9th tee, ready to play the last hole.
Meanwhile, Otaegui said goodbye with a birdie of those that leave you very satisfied on hole 14, the most complicated on the course, with an average of 4.5 strokes. Here the San Sebastian player has taken a stroke and a half to the rest. He still has four holes left to improve his result and get closer to the leaders, although in India you should never stop looking out of the corner of your eye at what is happening behind.
Alfredo García Heredia (+2) needs a good awakening this Saturday to get into the cut. The sieve right now, with more than 40 players to finish, is set at -1. Everything points to it being the minimum result to play the weekend, although PAR could also enter. The Asturian, who is at par on the day, has four holes left.
Those who have been left out of the cut are Rafa Cabrera Bello (+2), Adri Arnaus (+2) and Sebastián García Rodríguez, who has retired after nine holes suffering from a stomach virus that has barely let him sleep and has had him vomiting for the last few hours.
