Meet Phenom Keita Nakajima; The 2022 Masters Low Amateur

With the Masters now behind us, we can look back and examine which golfers are leaving Augusta National on a high or low point. One exciting dimension of the week that seems to go unnoticed by many is the talent that comes from the amateur players, who are getting a chance to showcase their skills on an international level.

This year, there was a tie for the low amateur at +7 between American Austin Greaser and the World #1 amateur, Keita Nakajima. The Japanese phenom is widely regarded as the PGA’s next superstar, so let’s take a look at his journey up to this point.

Keita Nakajima was born and raised in Saitama, Japan, and has been playing the sport from a young age. Known as a fun and charismatic individual, he’s been taught throughout his life to enjoy the game and don’t take anything for granted, which might be a reason for his immediate success. The young phenom has held the position as World No. 1 longer than anyone after exceeding Jon Rahm’s 60-week stretch last Month.

Keita Nakajima earned his way into the Masters and The British Open in 2022

Nakajima, the 21-year-old, was awarded a spot in both the Masters and Open Championship after an impressive win at the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship last September. The World  No. 244 also has a victory at the Panasonic Open on the Japanese Tour cementing his place as the 2021 No. 1 Amateur. The third Japanese golfer to ever accomplish such a feat. Nakajima’s PGA Tour debut came last November at the ZOZO Championship where he finished T-28th and lost out to fellow countryman, Hideki Matsuyama.

Often compared to golfers on Tour such as Dustin Johnson, the Japanese star is now looking to find a permanent place on the PGA Tour. This year’s Masters was another great step in the right direction as he finished tied for the low amateur with Greaser, the NCAA star out of the University of North Carolina. While both golfers ultimately missed the cut, this is a huge step on such a big stage. Now Nakajima looks to continue his success and work to catch up to his childhood idol, Tiger Woods.

The Japanese golfer can now look forward to the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July, and he will do so with a new sponsor. Nakajima recently signed on with TaylorMade, joining talented golfers like Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, and many more. An already impressive Nakajima will now look to match these players on the course as well.

It’s only a matter of time before we see Keita Nakajima’s name on the leaderboard at numerous PGA Tour events. The 20-year-old phenom is making waves as the next superstar to dominate the sport and we shouldn’t be surprised if his climb to the top happens sooner rather than later.