Overview
With the conclusion of last week’s Volvo China Open, the Asian Swing rankings were finalized, securing three spots for the players in next week’s second men’s Major of the season – the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. They are Sebastian Soderberg from Sweden, rising Japanese star Keita Nakajima, and the newly crowned China Open champion Adri Arnaus of Spain.
Sebastian Soderberg
Age: 33
Official World Golf Ranking: 93
DP World Tour Wins: 1 (2019 Nordea Masters)
2024 Race to Dubai Ranking: 4
Best Major Finish: T53 at the 2022 U.S. Open
Soderberg topped the Asian Swing rankings and has had a strong season on the DP World Tour. Even before the Asian Swing, the Swede secured top-10 finishes in the season opener and an International event. His performances in Asia solidified his consistency on the DP World Tour.
After finishing outside the top 20 at the Porsche Singapore Classic, Soderberg narrowly missed out on victories in the subsequent three Asian events. He was runner-up by four shots at the Hero Indian Open; he then lost to another rising Japanese star, Ryouichi Sugitani, who won the Panasonic Open by three strokes; and at the weather-affected Volvo China Open, he led heading into the final round but a wayward tee shot on the last hole resulted in a double bogey, dropping him from a share of the lead to a tie for third. Despite the disappointment, he takes solace knowing he will make his PGA Championship debut next week. This will be his third Major appearance, having first played the U.S. Open in 2016 while still on the Challenge Tour.
Keita Nakajima
Age: 23
Official World Golf Ranking: 76
DP World Tour Wins: 1 (2024 Hero Indian Open)
2024 Race to Dubai Ranking: 16
Best Major Finish: Did Not Qualify
Nakajima spent 87 consecutive weeks ranked among the world’s top amateur golfers between 2020 and 2022. With three victories this year, he topped the Japan Golf Tour and joined the DP World Tour last year. In March, he claimed his first DP World Tour title at the Hero Indian Open, becoming the fifth Japanese winner in tour history in just his 11th start. The young star followed that up with a tied-third finish, five shots back, at the Panasonic Open in his home country, where Sugitani won on the DP World Tour, becoming the latest Japanese victor.
The 23-year-old has expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of fellow Japanese player Ryo Ishikawa by securing dual membership through the Rolex Series’ “Race to Dubai” (the top 10 in the ranking, if not already exempt, earn PGA Tour cards for the following year). The PGA Championship will mark his fifth Major appearance and his first in the United States, after making his professional Major debut at last year’s Open Championship. This summer, he will represent Japan for the first time at the Olympics in France.
Adri Arnaus
Age: 31
Official World Golf Ranking: 110
DP World Tour Wins: 5 (2017 Paul Lawrie Match Play, 2018 Belgian Knockout, 2020 Scottish Championship, 2022 Andalucía Masters, 2024 Volvo China Open)
2024 Race to Dubai Ranking: 13
Best Major Finish: T55 at the 2023 Open Championship
After his victory in China, Arnaus jumped 46 places to 13th in the Race to Dubai rankings. More importantly, he climbed from 38th to third in the Asian Swing rankings, earning his place at the PGA Championship. The seasoned DP World Tour player failed to make the weekend at the Porsche Singapore Classic, the opening event of the Asian Swing, but followed it up with back-to-back top-30 finishes in India and Japan before his dramatic win in China for his fifth DP World Tour title.
His world ranking rose from 143rd to 110th following the triumph. Arnaus has previously won DP World Tour titles in Scotland, Belgium, and his native Spain, and recently made his 300th DP World Tour appearance during the Asian Swing. So far this season, the 2008 Junior Ryder Cup player has made the cut in eight of his 12 starts. The Spaniard is set for his fourth career appearance at the PGA Championship, with his best result being a tie for 65th in his debut in 2018.
(European Tour)