Nakajima, who has been the number one player in the WAGR for a record 83 weeks, including 70 consecutively, is the first male player to receive the McCormack Medal twice. He also earned the honor last year. Nakajima, 22, and Takumi Kanaya are the only Japanese players to secure the honor.
Nakajima, who competed in The Open and this year’s Masters Tournament and US Open, won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last November when he converted a 20-foot birdie putt on the second play-off hole. He is the third player from Japan to win the title, joining Hideki Matsuyama (2010, 2011) and Kanaya (2018) on the list of champions.
“It is a great honor to receive the McCormack Medal again,” said Nakajima. “The excitement I felt when I saw the medal in Dubai last year is still fresh in my memory. Seeing it again in Paris (at the World Amateur Team Championships) will be really wonderful.”
He continued, “I appreciate the opportunities I have been given thanks to the medal. I hope I have created a pathway for not only Japanese players but all Asia-Pacific players to pursue the dream they have.”
Nakajima finished 41st in the PGA Tour’s 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii at ten-under-par 270 and was tied 28th in last year’s ZOZO Championship. In 2021, he won the Japan Golf Tour’s Panasonic Open and captured the Japan Amateur Championship by three strokes, which included a second-round 63.
“It is a great honor to receive the McCormack Medal again. The excitement I felt when I saw the medal in Dubai last year is still fresh in my memory. Seeing it again in Paris (at the World Amateur Team Championships) will be really wonderful.” – Keita Nakajima.
The R&A and the USGA jointly award the McCormack Medal each year. It is named after Mark H McCormack, who founded sports marketing company IMG and was a great supporter of amateur golf.
Professor Steve Otto, Chief Technology Officer at The R&A, said, “Keita Nakajima deserves huge credit for performing to such a high standard throughout the year and for representing the sport of golf in such exemplary fashion.
“We saw at first hand just how good a player he is when he won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Dubai Creek last year and it has been a pleasure to see him continue to flourish this season. I congratulate Nakajima-san on behalf of everyone at The R&A and wish him every success in the future.”
“On behalf of the USGA, I would like to extend our congratulations to Keita for earning the prestigious McCormack Medal,” said John Bodenhamer, Chief Championships Officer for the USGA. “He is creating history with his second award and has played unbelievable golf over the past two years. Nakajima has an impeccable record on a worldwide level and all of us at the USGA look forward to watching him excel as his career continues.”
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