2023 ISPS Handa Championship Preview, Picks & Analysis

AFTER a break of four weeks, the DP World Tour returns with the ISPS Handa Championship being staged at PGM Ishioka Golf Club in Japan.

It is the first time the DP World Tour has staged a tournament in Japan, alongside the Japan Golf Tour Organisation.

Rasmus Højgaard will travel to Japan, along with four-time DP World Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello. The tournament builds on the recently announced partnership between the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and JGTO, that will see the top three players on the JGTO Order of Merit earn membership onto the DP World Tour each season.

Rasmus said: “One of the exciting things about the DP World Tour is getting the opportunity to play all over the world, and I can’t wait to play in Japan for the first time.”

Spaniard Cabrera Bello is an ISPS HANDA ambassador and will arrive in Japan seeking to better his own recent top five finish in Thailand, as the Ryder Cup player and Rolex Series winner seeks his fifth DP World Tour title.

Cabrera Bello said: “I always enjoy playing in Asia and had a great week in Thailand on my last start. It’s exciting to be part of the DP World Tour’s first tournament in Japan, with the support of ISPS HANDA, and I can’t wait to experience it.”

The tournament deepens the DP World Tour’s long-standing relationship with ISPS Handa, the organisation founded by Japanese philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa in the belief that sport has the power to inspire, transform, and unite people and communities across social, racial and socio-economic barriers.

Handa said: “The world is becoming increasingly globalized and golf is no exception to this, with the wider DP World Tour, PGA Tour and JGTO collaboration a great example.

“ISPS looks forward to the partnership of Japan’s golfing world with the DP World Tour through this tournament and we are excited for the future of Japanese golf to keep in tandem with the globalization trend. ISPS is here to support this important juncture in golf.”

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Among are leading European golfers making the trip to Japan are Ryder Cup hopefuls Robert MacIntyre and Guido Migliozzi, as well as Marcel Siem, Jordan Smith, Lucas Herbert and Christiaan Bezuidenhout, along with a host of young Japanese players who will be looking for success on home soil.

MacIntyre finally won his second DP World Tour title in 2022 and said he was determined to secure a spot in Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team, but he hasn’t been at his best this year. But it only takes one good week to turn things around.

Bezuidenhout is dividing his time between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. He finished tied fifth at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in November, tied third at the Joburg Open and tied 26th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. He is a hugely talented South African who will be looking to win his fourth DP World Tour title this week.

Look out, too, for Brendan Lawlor. He was born with rare bone disorder Ellis-Van Creveld Syndrome, characterised by a shorter stature and shorter limbs. The Irishman, who turned professional in 2019, made history by becoming the first disabled golfer to compete on the DP World Tour at the ISPS Handa UK Championship in August 2020.

He claimed back-to-back wins at the EDGA Cazoo Open and ISPS Handa World Invitational presented by Brendan Lawlor in August in 2021 as he moved to the summit of the World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) for the first time. He ended a memorable campaign with a four-stroke victory at the EDGA Dubai Finale, which coincided with the DP World Tour Championship.

Lawlor insists that he does not want to be seen as a disabled golfer and tournaments such as this provide him with an opportunity to prove he has the game to compete on level terms with able-bodied players.

The best home hope may be 30-year-old Shugo Imahira, who has enjoyed plenty of success in Japan, including a win at the recent Token Homemate Cup.

The 2022 ISPS Handa Championship has a $2 million prize fund and is the first event in a three-year agreement. It is the first regular tournament in history to be co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the JGTO. The only previous event on Japanese soil to feature on the DP World Tour schedule was the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama in 2021.

The Course

PGM Ishioka GC is a par 70 measuring just 7,039 yards so we can expect to see some low scoring. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, he described it as the best golf course in Japan. It may be comparatively short but there are lots of water hazards, trees and bunkers.

Form Guide

Japanese golfer Shugo Imahira is a proven winner and will relish the opportunity to prove himself against some of Europe’s finest but he will have his work out out for him if he is to beat Christiaan Bezuidenhout, a South African who has already won three times on the DP World Tour.

To Win:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Hugely impressive

Each Way:

Shugo Imahira. A recent winner in Japan

Each Way:

Rasmus Højgaard. Has his sights set on the Ryder Cup

Five to Follow:

Christiaan Bezuidenhout. Big hitter with a glorious short game

Shugo Imahira. Would love to do it for the home fans

Rasmus Højgaard. Brilliant putter

Haotong Li. Infuriatingly inconsistent

Robert MacIntyre. In need of another victory

Outsiders to Watch:

Brendan Lawlor. Looking to prove himself

Joost Luiten. Finally showing some positive signs

Tom McKibbin. Hugely talented youngster

Alexander Levy. Looking to get career back on track