After an agonising near miss at the Japan PGA last week Matt Griffin brings both recent and past form to this week’s Kansai Open, an event that has proved a happy hunting ground for he and several of his fellow Australians in the field.

Griffin finished T13 here last year after heading to the weekend in a share of third position and with back to back top 10 results in his last two starts looks dangerous again this week.

The Victorian is enjoying some of his best form since joining the Japan Tour full time in 2015 and his near-miss last week will only be serving as motivation.

The eventual T3 result is his best on the Japan Tour but he is a proven winner in Asia and after also finishing T6 at The Crowns three weeks ago will be one to watch this week.

Griffin isn’t the only Australian with good memories to draw on at this event, however, Brad Kennedy claiming one of his two Japan Tour victories here and boasting a staggering record in the past five years.

The Queenslander has not finished outside the top five since claiming the title in 2013 finishing T3 in 2014, second alone in 2015, T5 in 2016 and T4 last year.

That record is even more impressive taking into consideration that the tournament moves venues each year and despite missing the cut last week Kennedy will take plenty of confidence to the first tee Thursday.

A total of 10 Australasians will be in the field this week with Q-School graduates Aaron Wilkin, Andrew Evans and Anthony Quayle all starting alongside Brendan Jones, Michael Hendry, Scott Strange, David Bransdon, Won Joon Lee, Griffin and Kennedy.

Bransdon’s best result in his rookie Japan season last year came at the Kansai Open when he finished T4 and with some good golf under his belt in his three starts so far this year he will take some confidence into the week.

Rookie Anthony Quayle, too, will be feeling good about his game after his remarkable runner-up finish last start at The Crowns in just his third event as a Japan Tour member.

Quayle was one of the breakout players of the Australian Summer of Golf and has gone on with the job brilliantly in 2018, a trend he will be keen to continue this week.

Scott Strange and Won Joon Lee also boast good performances in this event in the past, Lee T3 in 2015 and Strange T2 in 2016, while Michael Hendry has been less impressive with just one top 25 in four attempts.