Keita Nakajima took a break from staring at all the menu options in a coffee shop down the street from Royal Liverpool and began contemplating his next move in golf.
More options.
Nakajima, who broke Jon Rahm’s record for most weeks (87) as the No. 1 amateur in the world, is in a tight race for the Japan Golf Tour money title with Takumi Kanaya. The top three get European tour cards. The leading player can go to final stage of Q-school on the PGA Tour, which at least assures a level Korn Ferry Tour status.
His question that day in July: “Is it better to play DP World Tour or Korn Ferry Tour?” he said. Nakajima wants to follow in the steps of Hideki Matsuyama, except that he considers conversational English a priority.
The money is better on the European tour — roughly three times higher, including the Rolex Series events — the travel is more extensive and the variety of golf is far greater on a tour that goes to two dozen countries. Only the leading 10 players from the Race to Dubai not already exempt can earn PGA Tour cards. That’s where Nakajima eventually wants to be.