The in form Brad kennedy will be the Australasian to watch as one of the Japan Golf Tour’s most prestigious events gets underway this week.

Kennedy has finished inside the top 10 in each of his last three outings and comes to the Visa Taihieyo Masters as the leading Australasian money winner for the year.

Twice a winner in Japan the Queenslander has had some success at the Taiheiyo Club Gotemba Course having finished T9 two years ago.

There are six Australasians in this week’s field including 2007 winner Brendan Jones, five time Japan Tour winner David Smail, Kurt Barnes, Scott Strange and Steve Conran.

Jones, Australia’s most successful Japan Tour player with 13 wins, has had a disrupted year after undergoing wrist surgery at the end of 2013 and missing much of the first half of the season.

He has been experimenting with a short putter in recent weeks having used a broomstick since beginning his Professional career but should be comfortable this week in a tournament which has been a happy hunting ground for him.

Apart from winning in 2007 Jones finished runner-up in 2010 and has two other top 10’s in 10 starts.

David Smail has been less successful at this event with just two top 10’s in 13 appearances while fellow Japan veteran Steve Conran has just one top 10 since joining the Tour in 1997.