When Keita Nakajima puts a tee in the ground Thursday for the opening round of the Masters, he’ll do so as a member of TaylorMade’s Tour staff.
The top-ranked men’s amateur was officially unveiled as the newest addition to TaylorMade’s ever-growing tour stable — world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler inked a deal at the Players Championship — after coming to terms on a NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) agreement that allows Nakajima to retain amateur status and cash in on his recent success.
As part of the agreement, Nakajima will play a full bag of TaylorMade equipment and sport TaylorMade apparel in competition. The deal comes on the heels of Callaway announcing a similar multi-year NIL deal with the world’s No. 1-ranked women’s amateur, Rose Zhang, to play Callaway woods, irons, ball and an Odyssey putter.
Similar to Zhang’s deal, Nakajima won’t have to sacrifice his invitations to the 2022 Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship by signing a deal with TaylorMade.
“Keita’s decision to join Team TaylorMade reflects our continued commitment to putting the most innovative golf equipment in the hands of the game’s best players across all tours and levels,” said David Abeles, TaylorMade’s CEO and president. “At his young age, Keita has already shown the golf world his immense talent and winning mindset during his ascension to becoming and sustaining the World’s No. 1 Amateur Ranking. Keita’s authentic approach to the game aligns hand in hand with that of our philosophies at TaylorMade and we could not be more thrilled to be a part of his continuing journey to the professional golf ranks and beyond.”
Nakajima, who’s currently enrolled at the Nippon Sport Science University in Tokyo, is the fourth member of TaylorMade’s staff to be the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur, joining Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Rickie Fowler. His list of wins worldwide includes the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Australian Amateur Championship, Japanese Amateur Championship and Panasonic Open on the Japanese Tour — all with TaylorMade equipment in the bag.
“TaylorMade equipment has been an integral part of my wins and success so far in my career and I am proud to formally be a part of Team TaylorMade,” Nakajima said. “The people at TaylorMade have made me feel like family from the beginning and I am excited to join their team of athletes on tours across the world using the highest performing equipment in golf.”
Take a look at the setup Nakajima plans to use at Augusta National.
Keita Nakajima’s TaylorMade setup
Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 10.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 15 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus, 19 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (4-5), TaylorMade P7MB (6-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 3 (46SB, 52SB, 56TW), TaylorMade Hi Toe Raw (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Truss TB1 Hydro Blast
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