ISPS Handa Championship 2024: Form stats for this week's tournament in the Far East

• Taiheiyo is arguably Japan's No 1 golfing venue

• Kanaya a likely contender on home soil

• Bezuidenhout can claim 'Euro Tour' win No 4

Tournament and Course Notes

• The DP World Tour makes only its second appearance in Japan, teeing-up this year at the famous Taiheiyo Club in the city of Gotemba;

• Located approximately 60 miles south-west of Tokyo, Taiheiyo has been a regular venue on the Japan Tour for over 45 years;

• Opened in April 1977, the club's Gotemba Course has made its name by hosting the Taiheiyo Masters, which is one of Japan's most prestigious golf events and is usually held during November;

• This week's tournament is co-sanctioned by the tours of Japan and Europe;

• Laid out in full view of iconic Mount Fuji, the Gotemba Course is a lush parkland venue with tree-lined fairways, and where water comes into play on eight holes;

• Originally designed by Shunsuke Kato, the Gotemba Course was remodelled six years ago by Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson, in consultation with Hideki Matsuyama.

Latest betting for this week's ISPS Handa Championship

Good Current Form

The highest-ranked pros taking part this week are Frenchman Matthieu Pavon and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout.

Pavon has made a brilliant start to life on the PGA Tour, with a brace of podium finishes on tough courses, which included a victory in San Diego. And he tied-12th at Augusta two weeks ago.

Bezuidenhout has also played well this year in the States and was runner-up in Palm Springs back in January.

His last four outings on the PGA Tour have all yielded T30s.

Meanwhile, Rikuya Hoshino and Keita Nakajima have performed well on the DP World Tour this year.

Both have posted victories in 2024, and both have stood on the podium at Taiheiyo's Gotemba Course.

Finally, it will be interesting to see if 25-year-old rookie Sam Bairstow can continue his excellent run on the DP World Tour.

The left-hander finished third in Singapore last month and might offer a decent e/w price in Japan.

Betfair Sportsbook

Good Course Form

Home pros should certainly hold the advantage this week, thanks to the many years of playing Taiheiyo's Gotemba Course on the Japan Tour.

Among those with top-notch Gotemba histories are Mikumu Horikawa, Ryo Ishikawa and Takumi Kanaya.

Horikawa has posted five straight top-10s in the Taiheiyo Masters, while Ishikawa has previously tasted victory at the course.

But perhaps the best option would be Kanaya, another former Gotemba champion who has also finished second and third here.

Kanaya, the 25-year-old world No 104 from Hiroshima, is a six-time winner on his home tour including once this year.

Latest betting for next month's PGA Championship

World Ranking Points

Most Points This Year (Top 10 Listed)

114.86: Matthieu Pavon
62.42: Christiaan Bezuidenhout
36.53: Jesper Svensson
25.37: Keita Nakajima
22.23: Matteo Manassero
20.33: Rikuya Hoshino
19.90: Zander Lombard
19.25: Dylan Frittelli
17.90: Kiradech Aphibarnrat
16.01: Ugo Coussaud
Only those entered this week are included in table

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves