Queensland’s Brad Kennedy will be looking to make it an Australasian trifecta of success on the Japan Tour when the Kansai Open tees off this week.

Kennedy has a stunning record in this event
having won it in 2013 and finished T3 last year and will be hoping to join
Michael Hendry and Adam Bland in the winner’s circle on what is already shaping
as a fantastic 2015 for Australasians in Japan.

Kennedy has played all three events on the
schedule to date and made the cut in all with a best finish of T16 at The
Crowns three weeks ago.

With just two over-par rounds in his 12
this year Kennedy is primed for another good week and on a course that suits
his game he will expect to be in contention come Sunday.

While Kennedy will be looking for his third
career win in Japan last week’ winner Adam Bland has an excellent chance to
extend his lead at the top of the money list as second place holder Michael
Hendry has elected not to tee up.

Last week’s Japan PGA Championship is one
of the richer events on the Japan circuit and Bland’s winner’s cheque saw him
leapfrog Hendry who won the first event of the season, the Token Homemates Cup.

There are a total of 10 Australasians in
the field this week, Kennedy and Bland joined by rookies Matt Griffin, Peter
Wilson and Won Joon Lee and veterans Steve Conran, Kurt Barnes, Brendan Jones,
Scott Strange and David Smail.

This marks the second event of the season
for both Griffin and Lee after both played the first event of the season,
Griffin missing the cut while Won Joon Lee finished in a share of 38^th.

Fellow rookie Peter Wilson has played all
three events to date but made the cut in only one, The Crowns where he finished
in a share of 47^th.

Of the veterans in the field there has been
little love for this tournament over the years, Brendan Jones teeing up for the
first time in his career this year and Steve Conran just his third.

Fellow veteran David Smail has played the
event twice but missed the cut both times while Scott Strange also missed the
weekend in his only appearance last year.

Kurt Barnes has similarly made the cut just
once in four appearances while Adam Bland did show some form at the course in his
only appearance when finishing T19 last year but expectations won’t be high
this week after last week’s victory.